


Royal Blue

by pouty_hoseok



Series: Royals [1]
Category: TOMORROW X TOGETHER | TXT (Korea Band), 방탄소년단 | Bangtan Boys | BTS
Genre: Alpha Choi Soobin, Alpha Jeon Jungkook, Alpha Kang Taehyun, Alpha Kim Namjoon | RM, Alpha Park Jimin (BTS), Alpha/Beta/Omega Dynamics, Alpha/Omega, Alternate Universe - Fantasy, Alternate Universe - Royalty, Ambiguous/Open Ending, Angst, Arranged Marriage, Assassin Jeon Jungkook, Assassin Park Jimin (BTS), Beta Huening Kai, Blink and you’ll miss it, Boys In Love, Boys in Skirts, Choi Yeonjun-Centric, Dragons, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Forbidden Love, Friends to Lovers, It’s Minor tho, Kissing, Magic, Mpreg, Multi, Omega Choi Beomgyu, Omega Choi Yeonjun, Omega Jung Hoseok | J-Hope, Omega Kim Seokjin | Jin, Omega Kim Taehyung | V, Omega Min Yoongi | Suga, Prejudice, Prince Choi Soobin, Prince Choi Yeonjun, Prince Jung Hoseok | J-Hope, Prince Kang Taehyun, Prince Kim Seokjin | Jin, Prince Kim Taehyung | V, Prince Min Yoongi | Suga, Shapeshifting, Soft Choi Soobin, Soft Choi Yeonjun, Teen Pregnancy, Traditions, idk - Freeform, really minor namjin, rebel leader kim namjoon, why isnt that a tag
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-05
Updated: 2020-05-05
Packaged: 2021-03-02 17:02:36
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 24,229
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24020275
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/pouty_hoseok/pseuds/pouty_hoseok
Summary: Yeonjun’s brother and best friend present and suddenly life doesn’t make sense anymore.
Relationships: Choi Beomgyu/Kang Taehyun, Choi Soobin & Choi Yeonjun, Choi Soobin/Choi Yeonjun, Choi Yeonjun & Huening Kai, Choi Yeonjun & Kang Taehyun, Choi Yeonjun/Original Male Character(s), Kim Namjoon | RM/Kim Seokjin | Jin
Series: Royals [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1732594
Comments: 26
Kudos: 228





	Royal Blue

**Author's Note:**

> Soooo this is part of a series and hopefully it’s interesting enough that you’ll read it so ya luv u 💜

Yeonjun’s never thought much of his secondary sex. As a ten-year-old prince, his greatest worry is his studies and how he can hide from his instructor. There’s also his best friend, Soobin, who’s a year younger than him and from the coast. Their parents are friends so it’s no surprise that the two are close, yet, at first, Soobin treated Yeonjun like he was made of glass. So, at first, Yeonjun hated Soobin. That lasted around two or three seconds after Yeonjun jumped into the garden pond while in his best clothes, infuriating the nurses and both of his parents. Soobin, on the other hand, thought the older was some sort of _god_ (he does have blue hair from a magical something) and they’ve been joint at the hip ever since. At that time, neither thought of secondary sexes or presenting or marriage. They were five and six years old, there’s no need for such thoughts. 

But now . . .

“Hey, Yeonjunie-Hyung, why’re you always wearing those weird clothes?” Soobin says from his spot, feet kicking. Yeonjun frowns and looks down at his clothes. He spins around and the skirt flares out, making his little brother, Taehyun, laugh gleefully. Yeonjun looks up at Soobin and the younger boy looks back, still puzzled. 

“Dunno,” Yeonjun says, picking at the fabric and suddenly feeling self-conscious. Both his brother and best friend are wearing loose shirts and pants, plus their shoes. Yeonjun reaches up and touches his hair where, on special occasions, his nurse will wrestle him into a veil or tiara after many complaints from the little boy. 

“But Hyungie knows _everything_ ,” Taehyun says, tugging at his dress. Yeonjun tugs back, scowling. He can’t tell if his brother is mocking him or trying to comfort him. 

“Be quiet, Hyunnie,” he orders and the littlest of the three falls silent. Taehyun is eight, the youngest of their small group. Yeonjun is proudly ten while Soobin is nine, though he’ll be catching up soon, according to his mother. 

“You dress like Mother,” Soobin says as he jumps down from his branch. Yeonjun scoffs and moves to sit on the bench, sticking his tongue out at them. 

“Well, you’re lucky. I hate it.” Soobin giggles. 

“I remember when we met and you jumped into the pond,” he says. Yeonjun smirks and tilts his chin up, craning his neck. He refuses to admit he might be shorter than Soobin. 

“You jumped into a pond?” Taehyun says, his eyes wide with disbelief. Yeonjun nods. 

“Yep. The biggest one there is,” he says proudly. Taehyun gasps and he crawls into Yeonjun’s lap, making the older boy squawk in annoyance and shove him off. 

“Yeonjun-ah!” All three boys turn to look at Yeonjun’s nurse, an older woman by the name of Areum, running toward him. 

“Oh, no,” the oldest says. He gathers his skirts in one hand and then grabs Soobin by the wrist. Taehyun jumps on the middle boy’s back and Soobin grunts in surprise and protest as Yeonjun dashes through the gardens. 

“Hyung, your lessons!” Soobin says. Taehyun grins. 

“Hyung never goes to lessons!” he yells as they run, reaching the garden wall. Yeonjun tugs his skirt up and then scrabbles up the wall, jumping down on the other side. Taehyun comes next and finally Soobin, then the three are dashing away. The sound of little feet with high-quality shoes running through the front of the castle can be heard and Yeonjun leads the way to the marketplace. Soobin stops him. 

“We can’t go there,” he says, crossing his arms. Yeonjun crosses his arms back and glares at him. 

“Binnie, don’t be an ox,” he says, a term he’s coined for whenever Soobin, in particular, is being a stick-in-the-mud. Soobin keeps still and Yeonjun groans. 

“Hyung, what if we get hurt? What if Taehyun gets lost?”

“I can carry him.”

“You’re gonna get all red!” He’s not wrong, Yeonjun supposes. The sun is relentless in the summer, just as the cold in winter. 

“So?” Soobin groans, fingers sliding through his hair as he tugs on it. Yeonjun keeps frowning. And he doesn’t like leaving his best friend behind, so-

“Hey!” Yeonjun ignores Soobin as he drags the younger boy toward the marketplace, holding onto Taehyun’s wrist with his free hand. “Hyung, let go!”

“We’re gonna get in trouble, we’re gonna get in trouble, we’re gonna get in trouble,” Taehyun sings to himself as they walk. “We should be at lessons, lessons, lessons.” 

“Prince Yeonjun?” The latter stops in his tracks and stares up at the guard, his eyes wide as he falls back and lands on his butt. Soobin and Taehyun are both hiding behind him. 

“Um, Yeonjun? Who’s that?” the boy says as he tries to sneak around the giant, larger-than-life guard. He grabs the back of his dress and lifts it over his head, hoping to cover his hair. The guard raises an eyebrow and Yeonjun laughs nervously, grabbing his friends and then making a run for it. 

They get close to the first shop but the guards still manage to catch the three boys. Yeonjun is given back to his nurse and she cleans him up, chucking him into a bath of ice-cold water. The boy hisses and attempts to climb out but Areum shoves him down, washing his hair and making sure his pale complexion is retained. Yeonjun pouts and slaps her hand away when she begins to get near his face, the suds dripping near his eyes. 

“Ow!” Yeonjun cries out, rubbing his eyes when his nurse begins to rub his back with a rough towel. “Noona, that hurts!” 

“Then don’t run from your lessons!” Yeonjun turns around and splashes her, sticking his tongue out. The woman looks ready to drown him right then and there but, well, killing the prince would end in her death. So, little Yeonjun gets out of the bath and pulls on his dress along with a shawl. 

“Noona,” he says as Areum helps him dress, huffing in annoyance. 

“Hm?”

“Why do I have- why can’t I dress like Hyunnie?” he says. Areum sits back and stares at him, tilting her head. 

“You’re an Omega, Yeonjun-ah,” she says, gripping his jaw and checking for any blemishes. “Omegas haven’t any need for pants and shirts.”

“But I don’t _like_ this,” he says, tugging at the fabric as his Noona dries his hair. She snorts and begins to comb through the soft curls. 

“And I don’t like chasing you to bring you back to your tutors every day.”

“Noona, they’re so _dumb_ ,” he says, crossing his arms and staring at the mirror. Areum hands him a new pair of slippers and he slips them on, wiggling his toes. She helps him up and keeps a firm grip around his wrist as she leads him back to the library. Yeonjun sits down and his tutor begins to drone while the small boy leans his head on his hand and stares at the scrolls in front of him. He looks out the window and there’s Soobin sitting on his branch, frowning at Yeonjun. The older boy waves and Soobin snorts, waving back. 

“I gotta pee!” Yeonjun says loudly, interrupting the tutor and the silence of the library. The old man glares at him. 

“I’ll walk you there, Highness,” he says. Yeonjun shakes his head. 

“No, no. I’m fine. Don’t worry about me!” Before he receives an answer, Yeonjun is dashing out the door and to the bathroom. He throws a window open and climbs down the side of the building, laughing gleefully. 

“Guess who’s back!” he sings as he enters the garden. He finds Taehyun and a boy he’s never seen before, but an Omega. Soobin is climbing down from his tree, frowning. 

“Who’s that?” Yeonjun says, pointing at Taehyun’s friend. The little boy squeaks in surprise and then he bids Taehyun goodbye, scurrying away. Yeonjun frowns and raises an eyebrow, tilting his head. 

“Who was that?” he says. 

“No one,” Taehyun says. 

“Liar!” 

“Nuh-uh!” 

“Yeah-huh! You’re such a liar I can _smell_ it!” And it’s true. Recently, he’s had more lessons with Areum about something called a “heat”. One of the first signs in the way people’s smells change. And right now he can smell Taehyun. It’s faint but it’s there and it makes his nose twitch as he frowns, crinkling his nose. Soobin nor Taehyun can because they’re not old enough, but his Noona says they’ll be able to smell him before he can smell them. Something about his heat coming or whatever. He didn’t pay attention. Then again, does he ever?

“You can’t smell anything, Hyung,” Taehyun says. He giggles. “Junie, I’m not _that_ little.” 

“I want to smell,” Soobin says sadly, kicking the ground. 

“Don’t worry, Binnie,” Yeonjun says, grabbing his hand. “You’ll smell too!” 

He doesn’t tell Areum about the conversation but he does tell her he wants to start smelling nice. She frowns and asks why, to which Yeonjun responds with a shrug. But, that day, he leaves smelling like a bunch of flowers and sweets. 

“Soobinnie!” he calls into the garden. A head of black hair pops out and Soobin frowns. 

“Hyung, what’s that smell?” He wipes his nose and it twitches. He turns to Yeonjun. “Is that you?” 

Before Yeonjun can answer, Taehyun comes bounding in. He stops, suddenly, and gags. 

“Ew, Hyung,” he says, pinching his nose between two fingers and curling his lip. Yeonjun can feel his cheeks turn bright red and he looks away. Soobin takes his hand. 

“I think you smell nice,” he says softly and Yeonjun’s cheeks turn red but for a different reason. But what could it be?

Years pass and Yeonjun, now thirteen, has his first heat. And when he’s out he has a party to go to and Areum dresses him in his best clothes. Soobin is back doing other things but they’re still writing letters to one another. And Yeonjun doesn’t think many things will change. Sure, he’ll have heats every month, but that’s not as drastic as it seems. 

However, the suitors are quick to come pouring in. And Yeonjun isn’t bothered with the burden until he’s 15 and Taehyun-

Taehyun is presenting. 

The Omega curses as he grabs his skirts and runs to Taehyun’s bedroom, desperate. Taehyun- no, he can’t be an Alpha. He’s too quiet and timid and too calm and collected to be an Alpha. Yet here he is, standing outside of his little brother’s bedroom, breathing in the thick scent of something that is pure Alpha. His heart is in his throat as he awaits Taehyun to come out and tell him it’s a joke, just magic. But it isn’t and there’s no one here to calm him down or talk to because Soobin’s on some trip in the Dragon City, leaving Yeonjun and Taehyun. And now they’re- he’s alone. 

Yeonjun paces outside of the room, praying for Taehyun to come out. It’s been a week since he was locked up, meaning he should come out soon. He’s so worried he doesn’t notice the looming figure of the king. 

“Father,” Yeonjun says when he sees the man, his eyes widening. He bows. “I- I was waiting for Taehyun. I’ve been worried.” 

“No need,” his father says. “Run along, now. I have to discuss his throne.” Yeonjun clenches his fists and bows, turning and walking off. He’s fuming. He hopes Taehyun doesn’t turn out like that. 

“Um, honey and vanilla?” Taehyun says later in the gardens. Yeonjun is wearing a veil, something that’s become a customary burden. Taehyun, on the other hand, has a loose-fitting shirt and pants. Yeonjun is _not_ jealous. 

“Really?” Yeonjun says. Taehyun shrugs. “Huh. Lemme sniff you.” He leans forward and takes a deep breath, and it feels like he’s getting punched in the face. The smell is like ginger and lemongrass and campfire smoke but thousands of times stronger with a honeyed undertone. Yeonjun backs away and coughs, wiping his nose and his eyes. 

“Are you okay?” Taehyun asks sweetly. Far too sweetly for it to be innocent. Yeonjun narrows his eyes and lunges at the brat. 

“Yah! What’d you do?” he says. Taehyun laughs as Yeonjun begins yelling at him, the dust around them dirtying their clothes. 

“Your Royal Highness!” Both princes look over and there’s Areum, her eyes wide as she stares at the two princes. Yeonjun curses and climbs off of his brother, dashing through the garden. He climbs over the wall and lands on his feet, running toward the marketplace. He stops when he sees a large parade. Yeonjun scrambles back, his eyes wide. A hand suddenly grabs him by the arm and yanks him back, into the shade of a stall. He’s handed a ratty shawl that makes him crinkle his nose. 

“Excuse-”

“Sshh!” A boy around Taehyun’s age looks at him with wide eyes, pressing his finger to his lips. Yeonjun crooks a brow as he pulls the hood on, covering his hair. The boy tugs him back as the parade continues and they both watch with wide eyes. 

“What’s going on?” he whispers. 

“It’s for Tae- for Prince Taehyun’s congratulations party,” the boy says. Yeonjun raises an eyebrow. 

“They didn’t do this for me,” he grumbles, crossing his arms. 

“That’s because people care more about an Omega’s virginity than their self-worth issues,” the boy says. “See the slep carriage?” He points at a large caravan drawn by creatures that look like dragons and horses mixed together, and Yeonjun nods. The boy looks uncomfortable as his scent sours. “Those are the bed-warmers for him.”

“What?” Yeonjun hisses. “Taehyun’s thirteen!”

“It’s not like anyone cares,” the boy says. He sighs. “The best thing we can hope for is that the one he ends up with is his age.” 

“No, I won’t let them,” Yeonjun says. He pushes forward. “I’m gonna sabotage the carriage.” The boy raises his eyebrows. 

“You?” he says. Yeonjun supposes he isn’t threatening with how impeded his movement is by the dress and shoes. 

“No, that idiot over there,” Yeonjun snaps. He begins to tuck his skirts into his belt. “Yes, me! Who else?”

“Highness, there’s no need,” the boy says. Yeonjun frowns. 

“Wha-” 

An arrow whistles past their faces and Yeonjun’s jaw drops as he watches the leading carriage fall. The boy grabs his hand and helps him weave through the crowd. 

“Shit, your hood,” he says when he looks over his shoulder at the prince. Indeed, Yeonjun’s hood is gone. His blue hair sticks out like a sore thumb and the boy cranes his neck, gasping. He grabs Yeonjun’s hand and drags him behind a stall, just as a masked figure dashes by. Yeonjun recognizes the tattoos but only from various descriptions overheard through rumors. 

“The White Rabbit?!” he says. “What’s he doing here?” The White Rabbit, active for two years and already famous for his many feats. He’s assassinated several nobles in the coastal kingdom, which is why Soobin was sent away. If he’s here, though, that means-

“Taehyun!” Yeonjun says. He tugs himself free from the boy’s hold and begins running through the crowd, hood over his head. It flies off because of course the wind isn’t in his favor and he curses as he begins to weave around people, all gasping at the sight of him. 

The gates become distinguishable and Yeonjun gets ready to climb over but a hand grabs his hood and he’s yanked back. The prince releases a cry of protest and he ends up discarding the shawl and scrambling over the wall. He runs to the gardens, finding Taehyun gone. He curses and heads inside of the palace, opening the doors and shoving past the guards. It’s anything but proper, though Yeonjun is too worried about his brother to care. 

“Taehyun!” he yells. “Taehyun, where are you?”

“Your Royal Highness, be quiet!” Areum says as she somehow appears behind him. She gasps when she sees Yeonjun’s clothes and skin, how he’s already flushed and how his hair is tangled while his robes have a fine dust covering. She grabs him by the ear while Yeonjun stumbles behind her. 

“But Taehyun!” he says, not bothering with his volume. “The White Rabbit is here! I have to protect him!”

“You’re the one who needs protecting,” Areum snaps as she drags Yeonjun along. “Your brother-”

“Is thirteen years old. He’s still a _kid_ , dammit, Areum!”

“Watch your mouth! There isn’t an Alpha in the entire empire who wants an Omega using foul language.” Yeonjun scoffs. 

“Then they can take their knots to a brothel, I don’t care.” Areum’s grip on his ear tightens as if she’s keeping herself from smacking the Omega. 

“Don’t you say those things!” she whispers in his ear. “You don’t want to end up alone, do you?” 

“Oh, please. I’d rather spend every heat alone than marry one of those meatheads,” he says as he strips and gets into the water, beginning to bathe. He doesn’t need Areum’s help, he’s fifteen, thank you very much. He dries off and grabs the robe set out for him, pulling it on as Areum helps. He notices how it’s more formal than usual and frowns, though his lips are being dabbed with rouge and his face powder to cover up any freckles that might’ve appeared over the years. He shuts his eyes to be difficult and late as Areum tries to line his eyes with kohl, though the attempt is futile. Of course, Areum is used to the game and her hand is shooting up as she pries his eyelids apart and does his makeup. Then, when that’s done, she begins clipping his ears with long, dangling, gold earrings, his arms soon decorated with golden chains bedecked in jewels. Yeonjun is given a golden belt and he scoffs but secures it around his waist while one of his handmaidens styles his hair with a wreath. He attempts to bat her away but someone grabs his wrists and begins bedecking his fingers with an assortment of rings. Something exciting must be happening.

Yeonjun leaves and walking is so terrible in these tiny shoes that squeeze his feet and this belt that’s far too tight and this jewelry that might weigh more than he does. He walks down the hall and is herded by Areum as he’s shoved toward his throne. The prince turns around to stick his tongue out but his nurse is already gone. Yeonjun hmphs and sits down, not bothering with his posture as he slouches. His mother shoots him a glare.

“Yeonjun,” she whisper-snaps, though the prince ignores her. “Yeonjun, sit up!” The prince sticks his tongue out yet again, slouching further and sitting with his legs in a wide v shape. He catches Taehyun’s eye and his little brother is digging his nails into his palms. Taehyun, someone who rarely shows emotion, is struggling to hold in his laughter one of the “most important events of his life.” Yeonjun adds a point to his internal scoreboard, though he doesn’t know who’s on the other end. 

“Yeonjun-ah,” his mother says again. The Omega spares her a glance from his peripheral vision before slouching even more, but his head ends up hitting the bottom of the seat and he sits up, rubbing the injury. Now, the entire court, except for his father and mother, is laughing at the eldest prince. Yeonjun feels shame tickling his cheeks as he hadn’t meant to do _that_ , and he sits up while staring at his feet. His hands sit in his lap as his eyes dart up then down, not listening as his father does the ritual. It’s just not that interesting. 

The ceremony is too long. Yeonjun tries to stay awake but his eyes begin to droop as they’re- well, as _Taehyun_ is presented with countless gifts. Yeonjun doesn’t recall this happening to him. All he got was a couple of congratulations and a bunch of “Omegan Behavior” books and even more lessons. Oh, and way too many suitors. 

“Is it ending soon?” Taehyun leans over to whisper. Yeonjun turns to look at him and finds his brother to be absolutely humiliated. He’s shy, the attention is making him uncomfortable. Yeonjun giggles and shrugs. 

“I’ll tell you if you split the profits and cover for me when I run off,” he says. Taehyun’s eyes narrow and he shoots him a subtle smirk.

“You’ve got a deal. Now when’s it ending?”

“Dumbass. Did you actually think I knew?” Taehyun’s eyes narrow and his face scrunches. 

“Well, I guess you’re never finding Soobin-Hyung,” he says. Yeonjun feels like he just got hit and he sits up, craning his neck. His father looks at his mother to stop him and the woman glares at her son. Yeonjun doesn’t care, though. He keeps looking, wondering where the gods could’ve placed his best friend. He doesn’t- well, there’s a tall guy but- maybe? Yeonjun frowns as he locks eyes with the handsome stranger, frown prominent on his pouty lips. The handsome stranger tilts his head and then he smiles, dimples appearing and Yeonjun’s heart stops. Well. He’ll have to demand access to Soobin’s squishies as soon as this ends. 

At the feast, Yeonjun races to find his friend, pushing through the crowd. His eyes widen when he finds Soobin, but he’s different. He’s fourteen, yes, but the smell- it’s that of an Alpha. Yeonjun chokes on it and collapses, his knees too weak to hold him up. Soobin turns around and calls his name as Yeonjun lands in a tangle of limbs and jewelry. 

“Hyung?” the Alpha says, his big brown eyes even bigger than usual. Yeonjun gulps and nods. He reaches up and cups Soobin’s face, tilting it to the side. 

“You’re here,” he says. Soobin nods and helps Yeonjun up, and he’s _taller_ \- that isn’t fair. They stand and stare at one another before Yeonjun is jumping on his best friend, wrapping his arms and legs around him like some very-affectionate dragon. Soobin stumbles back but he ends up wrapping his arms around his Hyung. 

“I missed you,” Yeonjun mumbles. “Where’d you go?”

“To the Dragon City, remember?”

“Yeah, but you weren’t supposed to be gone for five years,” Yeonjun grumbles as he’s carried around the room. 

“Sorry, Hyung,” Soobin says. And Yeonjun, for some reason, finds it impossible to wrap his head around the idea of Soobin being an Alpha. Soobin is gentle and he cares about everyone and he’s well-behaved and docile and cute with squishy cheeks and he looks like a puppy when he’s sad. There’s no _way_ he’s an Alpha. Alphas are big and mean and angry at nothing and hard-headed while Soobin is none of those things. Soobin, the little boy who started crying because Yeonjun was crying. Soobin, who pours his heart and soul into protecting every dog on Earth because he’s been told he’s like a puppy. Soobin is a _puppy_. 

“Your Royal Highness,” someone says and both princes look up, Yeonjun turning around. It’s someone he’s never seen before, a man older than both boys. 

“Which one?” Yeonjun says and Soobin giggles. Yeonjun grins when the man rolls his eyes. 

“The dance is beginning, Highness, and you are expected to partake in the activity.” 

“Which one?” Yeonjun sing-songs as Soobin begins to spin them around, humming and bopping around. 

“Prince Yeonjun-” 

“See? That wasn’t so hard, was it?” the Omega says as Soobin continues to carry him off. He wiggles about and then waves, one hand resting on Soobin’s shoulder. “Bye!” Soobin sets him down not long after and Yeonjun grabs his hand, racing off. They get to the garden and the Omega shivers in the cool night air. 

The sensation of fabric on his shoulders makes him turn around. Soobin is staring at the stars, his hazel eyes wide. His cloak is missing, though. 

“Bin,” Yeonjun says. Soobin tilts his head. 

“You were cold,” he says, shrugging. Yeonjun stares at him. 

“But you're younger than me!”

“And you told me to put my elders first!” 

“Yah, did you just call me your elder?!” 

“No, you’re my Hyung!” Yeonjun huffs and pulls the cloak closer, shivering. Soobin was right as he is cold. He wanders closer to Soobin and they end up shuffling back until they reach the bench. The two boys sit down and Soobin's head falls onto Yeonjun’s shoulder, his eyes fall closed and Yeonjun snuggles close to him, shifting the cloak around until they’re both covered. He stares up at the stars, frowning. 

Something tells him that Soobin’s return will change his life forever. 

-

He gets over the change as best as he can, but having Taehyun as an Alpha is hard. He builds muscle mass within seconds until Yeonjun’s biceps look like noodle arms compared to him. Then again, Yeonjun isn’t ever given any opportunities to work out while Taehyun goes through extensive physical training. Yeonjun spends his hours at a desk and by his mother’s side, learning (read: spacing out while pretending to listen) how to be a proper husband and Omega. 

Step one: close your legs. An Omega sitting with their legs open is an Omega asking for assault. It’s rude and only your mate should see you that way unless you’re a prostitute. 

(“But what if I become a prostitute?”

“Hush, Yeonjun.”)

Step two: keep your mouth shut. Royal Omegas don’t make a peep and one shouldn’t be able to tell they’re real. They speak when spoken to. And please, for the glory of the gods and the blessing of the stars, don’t talk with your mouth full of food. 

(“Uh- mshm hm?”

“Did you hear a single word I said?”)

Step three: always listen to your Alpha. An obedient Omega is not only a good Omega, but a safe one. Going against your Alpha is like going against the gods. They’re above you, Yeonjun, so you must learn to respect them before you’re executed.

(Later that day, Yeonjun was discovered beating his brother up.)

The fourth and final step is to treat one’s virginity like the most precious of treasures. This lesson ends with Yeonjun strutting around in his undergarments while Areum and his mother both attempt to get hold of the prince. Taehyun sees him rushing through the hallways and Yeonjun stops to wave at his brother who snorts and then gets jabbed by the fake sword. Before he’s caught, Yeonjun is running off to Taehyun’s room and stealing some of his clothes. 

He does not, in fact, expect to see an Omega. Yeonjun is eighteen now, his brother sixteen, and he shouldn’t be this surprised. Yet he throws the door open and finds a boy around Taehyun’s age there, all slim, delicate curves and soft features. He’s beautiful, truly, but unexpected. The boy squeaks and he grabs the closest thing (the sheets of Taehyun’s bed) and covers himself. He and Yeonjun stare at each other, eyes wide. 

“Who are you?” Yeonjun says, though he knows the answer. He’s one of- oh, well. One of the prostitutes. 

“B-Beomgyu,” the boy says. He bows. “Your Highness.” His eyes dart over the body of the older Omega. “You’re- where are your clothes?” Yeonjun looks down as if he’s remembering how underdressed he is. 

“Ah, yes, clothes,” Yeonjun says. He laughs nervously. “Let’s just say I didn’t feel like wearing any.” Beomgyu laughs and he pulls the blanket closer, moving back against the cushions. There’s the sudden sound of footsteps and Beomgyu’s eyes widen as he grabs his clothes and shoves them beneath the bed before he follows. Yeonjun is left alone in his brother’s bedroom as he’s taken back to his room and dressed, then scolded. 

He confronts Taehyun that night. 

“Who is he?” he says, glaring at his brother. Taehyun frowns, raising an eyebrow. 

“Who?”

“Beomgyu. Who is he?”

“No one, Hyung. Don’t worry about it.”

“He was naked in your room. And then he hid from Areum. Who is he?”

“No one.”

“He’s isn’t no one!” Yeonjun says. He crosses his arm. “Tell me.”

“I don’t have to tell you.”

“I’m your Hyung so yes, you do.”

“No, I don’t!” 

“We’re not supposed to keep secrets,” Yeonjun says, pouting. He’s getting annoyed; he’s told Taehyun everything (important) yet his little brother ( _little_ ) refuses to even spare a word about the mystery boy in his room. 

“Well, people need secrets,” Taehyun snaps over his shoulder. 

“What, is it because I’m not becoming king? Am I too dumb?” Yeonjun says, continuing to prod despite his better judgement. But he’s always been a bit of a loudmouth. 

“Leave me alone, Hyung,” Taehyun says, his voice barely holding on to his usual stoic trait. 

“Is it because you’re the Alpha?” Yeonjun says. “What, thinking like Father now?” 

“Leave me alone, Hyung!” Taehyun yells, whipping around to face his brother. His big, round eyes are flashing red and his teeth are bared, his scent thick and angry. Yeonjun backs away and tries not to whine as he turns and leaves, running to his room. He throws himself onto the bed, uncaring of the golden laurel wreath in his hair, and tries not to cry. Yeonjun’s always been against crying, ever since he became more aware of the prejudices affecting his life. Omegas cry because they’re weak and Alphas are strong masks of anger. Yeonjun chooses to wear a mask of humor and sass, ignoring all stereotypes to the best of his abilities. 

He hasn’t cried in years. He hears his mother, his nurse, and all of the servants gossiping about it. They think he’s strange, dysfunctional. Broken. Choi Yeonjun, the broken Omega. He’ll be lucky if he isn’t tortured for the mouth he has on him. He’ll be lucky if he’s even married off before he goes infertile. 

And suddenly, the tears are pouring. He doesn’t understand- why isn’t Taehyun telling him? They tell each other everything, they’re brothers. They don’t trust anyone more than each other. Yeonjun’s never spilled any of Taehyun’s secrets and vice versa, so what’s with the sudden change of heart? Is he embarrassed? After seeing all of the things Yeonjun’s done? How?

The Omega sighs, rolling onto his side. His bracelets dig into his skin and the wreath is tugging on his hair, yet he’s tired. He misses Soobin, the Alpha back on the coast, and he’s lonely. 

Areum comes in and doesn’t say a word as Yeonjun sits quietly and allows her to undo the wreath and clean his face. He bathes and changes into his nightclothes, climbing under the covers. He tosses and turns as he awaits morning, his mind running too fast for Yeonjun to get a single wink of sleep. 

“Highness,” Areum says as she enters Yeonjun’s room to wake him. But the prince is already awake and standing on his balcony, a shawl protecting himself and his nightclothes. Areum brings him inside and he’s sent to bathe and clean his teeth, both of which he does without his usual protest. Yeonjun is tired, so, so tired. 

He dresses and goes to his lessons, sitting quietly and hardly making a peep. Taehyun is, once again, busy and Yeonjun is thankful for the escape from his brother. He doesn’t want to talk to him. 

His sudden change of heart doesn’t go unnoticed by their father. The man is eager to marry his rebellious son off to the most willing Alpha, and, after a month of such proper behavior, the suitors begin visiting. 

Yeonjun’s lack of interest makes him as appealing as a dead bird. He sits and drinks his tea and looks pretty while Alphas from other, smaller kingdoms talk and talk with him, none finding him interesting. Yeonjun simply sits and stays quiet, too tired of everything to answer. 

And then, of course, Hueningkai comes. A Beta, meaning his father is getting desperate. His father is from a far, far land, out of the empire, while his mother hails from the coast. Yeonjun sighs when the area is mentioned and he thinks back to Soobin, wondering what he could be up to. 

“How old are you?” Yeonjun asks after listening to Hueningkai chat endlessly about every leaf in the forest. Kai frowns and then counts on his fingers. 

“Seventeen, I believe,” he says. Yeonjun raises an eyebrow. 

“I have three years ahead of you,” he says. “What are you doing here? Go court someone your age.” 

“You think I’m here to court you?” Kai says, his eyes wide with disbelief. Yeonjun groans and drops his head onto the table. “Your Highness, I’m like- uh, your hired best friend.”

“I already have a best friend,” Yeonjun grumps. “His name is Soobin.”

“Oh. That guy. He’s nice.”

“Yeah.” Kai nods. He sighs and drops his head onto the table, right beside Yeonjun. 

“People always talked about how funny you were,” he mumbles. “It’s like being told you’ll have sweets and eating sand instead.” 

“Fuck off.” 

“That’s a bad word.” 

“Do I look like I care?” Kai laughs and then rests his head on top of Yeonjun’s, sighing. 

“No.” Yeonjun snorts. 

“Smart kid.”

“I’ve been told.” Yeonjun reaches up and cuffs the back of his head. 

“You didn’t know how old you were.”

“I don’t keep track of stuff like that. S’dumb.” Yeonjun snorts and sits back. He stares at Hueningkai, and then he nods, holding his hand out. 

“Good luck being my friend, kid,” he says. 

He likes Hueningkai. The kid is funny, dopey, and reminds him a bit of Soobin. He tries to avoid making that comparison, though, as thinking of Soobin these days always makes his chest ache. So, to keep his mind off of the other prince, he introduces Kai to Taehyun. The Alpha is happy to meet him and they get along well, especially when it comes to bothering Yeonjun. The others don’t point it out but Yeonjun notices it one day when Areum comes into his room and has to throw him into a tub of ice water to wake him up. He splutters indignantly but he feels a burst of triumph along with it. 

He’s back. 

It’s that year they’re invited to a ceremony in the capital. Yeonjun packs his bags and bids Hueningkai goodbye while Taehyun laments leaving Beomgyu, his secret lover. Yeonjun and Hueningkai watch the interaction in various states of disgust. 

They leave in the early morning. Yeonjun is led to a carriage and he climbs in, Areum sitting across from him. His mother joins them and Yeonjun frowns. 

“Mother?” he says. 

“We have to go over your etiquette,” the woman says. “Now, you’ve had dancing lessons, yes?”

“Yeah, yeah.”

His mother crinkles her nose. Yeonjun resists the urge to stick his tongue out. He’s twenty. “You know that you have to accept any requests to dance.”

“That’s dumb,” Yeonjun says as he slouches low in the plush seat of the carriage, lips pouted. “Then again, everything expected of me is dumb.”

“If you don’t behave, Yeonjun, we’re marrying you off to the first suitor who asks.” Yeonjun sits straight up, his eyes blown wide. 

“You can’t do that!” he says. 

“Why not?”

“Mother,” Yeonjun whines. “Please.”

“You’re twenty years old, Yeonjun. I’d already had you when I was your age!” 

“But I- _Mother_.”

“Be quiet, Yeonjun!” the woman says and there’s suddenly a hand striking his face. Even Yeonjun can’t stop the whine that escapes. He rubs his face and Areum is quietly patting it with a cold, wet cloth, despite the lack of injury. But Yeonjun still feels hurt, though the handprint is disappearing quickly. He knows plenty of parents- royal parents not excluded -hit their children. He’s never been hit, though, as his parents’ desperation extends to protecting him from any beatings to keep his skin unblemished. And yes, a slap won’t leave a mark that he nor anyone else should worry about. Really, he’s just shocked. If anyone would hit him, he’d say his father. 

“Just stay quiet and listen, all right?” Areum says softly and Yeonjun scowls and crosses his arms, looking away. 

“Yeonjun, if you want to keep your singularity, you’re to behave tonight. Do not insult the Alphas for they will be less merciful than your father and I have been to you.” Yeonjun rolls his eyes and lets himself slouch. This is going to be a long ride. 

They set up camp in a clearing and Yeonjun finds Taehyun. His brother is lying on the ground and his eyes are wide, brown hair disheveled. Yeonjun jumps on top of him without any warning, hearing a yelp and squeak of surprise emit from Taehyun. They wrestle for a bit and maybe both princes lose earrings and rings and Yeonjun a bangle, but neither notice. If their parents notice, not a word is said, though Yeonjun also bets that everyone’s tired from hours spent together. 

After dinner, Yeonjun, Areum, and Mother are ushered back to their carriage while Taehyun and Father go to the other. Yeonjun climbs in and pulls his cloak around himself, shivering. They begin to move and he falls asleep to the steady rock of the vehicle. 

Their journey is two days. Then, they’re stopping at an inn in the capital where the royals are prepared for the morrow’s activities. Leaves and twigs are shaken and washed thoroughly from Yeonjun’s hair and any signs of labor (i.e. sunburn from the excessive time with his head out the window) are covered with a thick salve. He dresses in normal clothing and has a small amount of jewelry on, then they get back in the carriage and ride to the castle. 

Dragon City might be one of the most beautiful places Yeonjun’s ever been to. Then again, he doesn’t travel often. He’ll have to ask Soobin, as his parents are sending him to multiple cities for his studies. They’re in the richer part of the city, where all of the emperor’s favorite nobles reside. There are large, grand mansions, though none dare to attempt the grandeur of the palace. Horse-drawn carriages and mounted soldiers walk the streets by pedestrians with their extravagant pets. He sees dragons and wolves and cats and foxes and winged rabbits. A few of the richer civilians have carriages drawn by exotic creatures such as sleps or unicorns, and, when he pokes his head out of the carriage to look up, he finds gryphons and dragons patrolling the sky. Yeonjun is yanked back in within a few seconds, though, and he’s left to wonder what other curiosities the city may hold. 

They reach the palace and head inside, past the guards, and to the throne room. There, the emperor and his four Omega sons sit. 

The eldest is Kim Seokjin. He’s known to be as beautiful as a god with his sculpted face, plump lips, soft eyes, broad shoulders, and skinny waist. He’s to be married within the next month or two. His mother died after he was born, and he’s always been a bit of a role-model for Yeonjun. He’s known far and wide for his constant refusal of marriage and any customs and many have seen him in places an Omega of his status shouldn’t even know exist. For this, a rumor was quick to spread about his mother being a whore. If Seokjin knows this, then he’s good at pretending he doesn’t care. 

The second brother is Min Yoongi. All of the brothers use their mothers’ last names. Yoongi is much more proper of a prince and Yeonjun sometimes wonders if he’s a simple illusion and the true prince was far too rebellious so they hired a magician to create the perfect prince. His skin is as pale as porcelain and he has a pair of cat-shaped jewel eyes with soft, pink doll lips. To Yeonjun, he’s the least interesting of the four imperial princes. 

Without wasting a second, the emperor brought Jung Hoseok into the picture. The third prince is known for having the kindest heart to ever exist with a sweet heart-smile. He’s known to be a bit loud when excited and to laugh at almost anything. He’s about as docile as a lamb but sweeter than sugar. Many believe he’ll be married off within the blink of an eye, suitors from everywhere grovelling to him. He’s older than Yeonjun, twenty-six, yet none of the princes have married. It’s tradition for the eldest sibling to marry first, and Seokjin’s held out for years. His brothers don’t seem to mind. 

The youngest of the princes is Kim Taehyung. His features are those that every Omega is told to lust for. He’s curved in all the right places and his lips are a plump pink. His voice, however, is like the low rumble of a tiger’s growl, and many are quick to lose interest in an Omega with a voice deeper than theirs. Taehyung is twenty-four and has Seokjin’s rebellion and Hoseok’s joyfulness. He’s known for his large box-smile and the large tiger that is almost impossible to pry away from him. All of the imperial princes have pets, but Taehyung’s tiger is by far the most exquisite. 

They bow and the emperor smiles. 

“Greetings,” he says kindly. Yeonjun’s eyes dart up to him and he forces himself not to frown. By his side is a stoic, well-muscled guard with a covered face, presumably the well-known “JK” as they’ve nicknamed him. A powerful general who was quick to rise up in the ranks. For his position, he challenged the ex-general and killed him within a heartbeat. His name is unknown, though his initials are how he’s often addressed. 

“Thank you, Your Imperial Highness,” Yeonjun’s father says. “It is wonderful to see you in good health.” The man on the throne smiles and nods, beckoning them to their feet. Yeonjun and Taehyun find each other, silently agreeing that they’re not-

“Oh, Yeonjun, Taehyun, come meet my sons,” the emperor says and both princes stop. The four men are walking toward them and Seokjin winks at Taehyun who turns bright red. He does the same to Yeonjun and the prince has a reaction akin to his brother’s. The princes fall back while the emperor, king, and queen all take the lead. 

“I’ve heard about you,” Seokjin says to Yeonjun. The Omega looks over and Seokjin is smiling. “Your friend, Soobin, talks plenty of you and your antics.” Yeonjun blushes and laughs. 

“All good things, I hope. If not, I’ve plenty of blackmail to make up for such.” Seokjin laughs softly. 

“He looks to you the same way one would look to a god,” he says. He looks around. “But please, don’t withhold your gossip. It’s terribly boring here.”

“Hush,” Yoongi hisses. “Seokjin, what if Father hears?”

“I’m interacting with a fellow prince!” Seokjin snaps. 

“You’re supposed to talk with Taehyun!” 

“He’s- how old is your brother?”

“Eighteen by now.” Seokjin turns around. 

“I’m almost ten years older than him! Why would I marry an Alpha that young? Taehyung’s closest in age and even then it’s over half of a decade!”

“Excuse me, Yeonjun,” Yoongi says as he wiggles past. He grabs Seokjin’s arm and tugs him down to whisper furiously in his ear. Seokjin does the same and they fight quietly and fall behind. Hoseok is chatting with a wary Taehyun and Taehyung is adding his input whenever Hoseok pauses to take a breath. Taehyun looks at Yeonjun with wide eyes that beg him to join in to save him from his awkwardness. 

“Hyunnie, look at- uh, Prince Hoseok, can you explain what that’s for?” Yeonjun says, gesturing at nothing whatsoever. Hoseok must have super vision, though, and he’s quick to bound up to him and explain the tapestry which is kind of in the range of the gesture but not exactly. Taehyung joins in and the two brothers compete to tell Yeonjun about everything. He likes them. They’re funny and sweet. Taehyun comes up to walk behind them while Yoongi and Seokjin pick up the rear. 

“Yeonjun will stay here,” the emperor says, gesturing to a door. Hoseok and Taehyung squeal and they both open the door, leading Yeonjun in. 

Oh, goodness. 

“It’s beautiful,” Yeonjun breathes. A large bed up against the wall, shrouded by curtains, a dresser with a basin, a door leading to a balcony overlooking the outdoor gardens, and an attached bathroom. Taehyung and Hoseok are jumping onto the bed and laughing. Yeonjun is quick to join them and they end up as a tangle of limbs and silk and jewelry. 

“Hyung!” Hoseok says when Yoongi and Seokjin appear in the doorway. “You should join us!” 

“I’m okay,” Yoongi says. But Seokjin grabs his hand and then the younger is chucked over his head and onto the mattress with a surprised yelp as Seokjin jumps onto all of them. 

“Get off, get off!” Hoseok squeals and he tugs Yeonjun back as Seokjin lands face-first on his bed. He grunts and then grabs the other princes, tugging them back. They sit together in a pile, panting. 

“I’ll kill you,” a voice mumbles from somewhere. 

“Aw, Yoongles,” Hoseok says, trying to find his older brother. A large hand reveals itself and the middle finger shoots up like a weird plant. 

“That’s not nice,” Hoseok says as he shoves the digit down. “There are children here, Yoons.”

“How old are you, kid?” Yoongi says gruffly from wherever he is. 

“Twenty.” 

“He’s a kid, Seok,” Yoongi decides. 

“A kid with blue hair!” Taehyung chirps as he begins to run his fingers through Yeonjun’s locks. The youngest isn’t sure if he should bat his hand away or sit there, but Seokjin is shoving him off. 

“I think we’re supposed to help him unpack,” he says. 

“Huh.”

No one makes any move to do anything until Areum comes in, scolding Yeonjun and apologizing to the older princes for his behavior. Yeonjun watches Seokjin snicker behind his hand with narrowed eyes before they’re all kicked out for Yeonjun to get ready. 

He bathes yet again and then gets dressed. There’s a dark turquoise skirt he has to put on first before Areum is putting the top on. It starts as dark as his hair and fades into a pale blue. The upper part is lined with peacock feathers where it fades into the skirt, A gold belt is secured around his waist with rubies embedded, each with a distance between them. Golden chains strung with beads loop around and connect while a large pendant with a transparent, turquoise stone surrounded by gold. Areum sits him down and connects the front of the beads that go over his shoulders. A thin gold chain is secured around his neck and then a necklace rests on his collarbone, one with smooth chunks of crystal hanging in a circle. One of the strings from his belt is connected to a cuff on his wrist, though Areum does that only after she’s put the bands on his upper arm. They’re similar to the belt but have tassels instead of beaded strings. 

“Isn’t it disrespectful to dress so extravagantly?” he grumbles as a thin, gauzy veil is attached to his head. She fits a delicate circlet around the back of his head, securing the veil. He pouts as Areum combs his hair and parts it in front of his forehead. After that, she sits in front of him and powders his face, much to Yeonjun’s displeasure. His lips are reddened even as Yeonjun frowns as deeply as possible, then his eyes are, once again, lined with kohl. 

He’s finished when the sun begins to set. Yeonjun is led down the hall, holding the folds of his skirts as he walks toward the ballroom. Hoseok joins him along the way. 

“Aren’t you supposed to be there already?” Yeonjun says as they walk, discreetly looking at the other’s dress. Hoseok has thin, thread-like straps over his shoulders that lead to his torso, which is covered in intricate, dark gold designs. Under his arms, thick, white gauze hangs, flowing into the skirt. It’s white with soft feathers decorating each fold. He has on a golden tiara nestled in his dark hair and no veil. 

“Uh, maybe. I haven’t any idea,” Hoseok says, shrugging. Taehyung joins them in a dark blue ensemble with a black border on the collar and sleeves. A single piece of fabric wraps around his neck and connects to the parts around his shoulders. His sleeves are long and drag on the ground beneath them, seemingly part of the skirt. A necklace with a rose gold chain hangs around his neck, a large, opal pendant kept in a cage of metal. Taehyung’s curls are held back by his tiara which is similar to Hoseok’s. Of course, as a younger brother, his accessory is darker and less flashy, though it’s still rather bright against his black hair. 

“Yoongi-Hyung must’ve gotten Jin-Hyung there early.”

“Well, it is to get him married off.”

“Yeonjun-ah, we’re going to be late! Let’s go get Taehyunnie, then we’ll go!” Hoseok says, grabbing the youngest’s hand. Yeonjun picks up his skirts and tries not to trip as he runs after Hoseok, while Taehyung is hiking his dress up to make it easier. 

“Taehyun! Prince Taehyun!” Hoseok calls. 

“Yeonjun-Hyung, if you make fun of me, I’m going to throw you off the balcony!” is the response. Hoseok and Taehyung begin guffawing before Hoseok beats his chest and clears his throat. 

“Don’t worry!” he says. Taehyun’s head pops out from his room and he narrows his eyes at Yeonjun before he begins to giggle. 

“What?” Yeonjun says, crossing his arms. “Come out, coward.”

“Okay, now that I’ve seen you guys, what I’m wearing isn’t that bad,” he says, still giggling. Taehyung runs at him and tugs him out, and there stands Taehyun. 

He has on a white undershirt covered by a black vest that’s decorated by intricate, dark silver embroidery. The vest has silver buttons running down the middle. He has a cloak on and it trails after him on the ground. His pants are tight (Yeonjun giggles) and black, and he finishes it all off with a pair of leather boots. He walks over. 

“That’s not fair,” Yeonjun says. “If we're attacked, the three of us are going to die. You can run away.”

Taehyun sticks his tongue out. Hoseok shrugs and then the four head to the party. 

As suspected, Yoongi and Seokjin are already there. Yoongi is wearing a thin, navy blue almost black dress that shows the tiniest sliver of skin on his torso. The collar wraps around his neck with a silver pin holding it in place. His crown is made of large, golden flowers that trail down the side of his head. 

Seokjin looks ready to commit murder. He has a silver choker that looks more like a dog collar and silver pieces that look like the shoulder parts of armor but more decadent in jewels and designs. Small chains flow from them and connect the necklace and pieces to the actual dress which begins with a large chunk of silver intricately designed with pale jewels embedded in it. The neckline of the dress is in the shape of an upside-down peach and it’s a pale magenta, two parts that reveal a thin slice of skin. Beneath his pecs is a silver belt thingie that has two tear designs parallel from one another. Pink fabric flows over his arms and surrounds a triangle of creamy white. The white part has even more silver, starting with small specks and leading to an entire sea of it. It looks heavy. His headpiece is made of a large assortment of silvery-gold leaves. 

“Let’s go talk to Hyung!” Hoseok says and, without receiving an answer, he shoves his way through the crowd until they reach Seokjin and Yoongi. 

“Hold me, Seokie, I think I’m _dying_ ,” Seokjin says as he collapses on the younger. Hoseok grunts and shoves him off. 

“You’re fine,” Yoongi says. He rolls his eyes. “Apologies,” he says to Yeonjun and Taehyun. 

“We don’t mind,” Yeonjun says. “May I ask where Soobin is, though?” Yoongi laughs softly and points at one of the tallest people. 

“I believe him to be the tallest one here,” he says. Yeonjun bows and thanks the other prince before he’s making his way through the crowd. 

“Soobin?” he calls. The man turns around and Yeonjun can barely recognize the Alpha as he makes his way through the crowd. 

“Hyung!” Soobin says. He smiles and oh, his cute little dimples are still there. Yeonjun coos and squeezes his cheeks, pushing Soobin’s lips into a pucker. 

“Oh, you’re still so cute!” he says. Soobin laughs and then Yeonjun looks down and someone’s been busy. 

“What are you wearing?” he says. Soobin looks down at his- his _armor_ and then back at Yeonjun. 

“Armor?” he says. He shrugs. “I just got back and didn’t have a lot of time to change. We had to clean it up.”

“But I heard you were here earlier,” Yeonjun says. Soobin shrugs. 

“I went on a hunt with some of the other Alphas. Taehyun declined.” 

“Your voice got deeper,” Yeonjun says instead of commenting. Soobin tilts his head. 

“Did it?” he says. Yeonjun nods. 

“It did,” he breathes. “It’s deeper than mine.” Soobin smiles at him and Yeonjun’s heart leaps into his throat as he grabs the fabric of his friend’s cloak in white-knuckled hands. The music starts and both men look up, eyes wide. 

“Would you like to dance, Highness?” someone says, a female Alpha. Soobin is switching their positions. 

“He’s with me,” he says. “Have a good evening.” Soobin’s hand comes to rest on Yeonjun’s hip while he leads them into a waltz. 

“Why would you do that?” Yeonjun says, looking after her. 

“Do you not want to dance with me?” Soobin says as they spin. Yeonjun shakes his head. 

“Don’t you know I can defend myself, Binnie?” he says softly. He’s up on his tiptoes, his lips next to the Alpha’s ear. 

“We’re in public, Yeonjun. People will talk,” Soobin says as Yeonjun’s breath ghosts over his ear. 

“We’re friends,” Yeonjun says. “We’re best friends. We’ve always been.”

“But to the public eye, we are but an Alpha and an Omega.”

“Let them talk,” Yeonjun breathes. “I want to talk with my best friend.” Soobin’s scent seems to sour but it’s gone as soon as it arrives and leaves Yeonjun wondering. Soobin’s grip on his waist tightens and then loosens and the Alpha lets his lips graze the exposed crook of Yeonjun’s neck. The older gasps in surprise and he pulls away to look at Soobin, finding the Alpha staring at him with an unreadable look. His face is devoid of emotion but his eyes are like oceans that lure poor Yeonjun in with a sirens’ song, sickly sweet and leading to an inevitable demise. 

“You- your dress is beautiful, Hyung,” he says as they dance. 

“What were you going to say?” Yeonjun says before he can catch himself. Soobin’s eyes bore into him and he spins them. 

“What do you mean?”

“Before you told me my dress was beautiful, what were you going to say?” Soobin gives him that soulful stare and it suddenly feels like they’re strangers. And they shouldn’t be, they’ve known each other for far too long to be considered such. Yet Yeonjun doesn’t understand a single thing Soobin seems to tell him. 

“I-” Before he can answer, they’re changing partners and they’re swept away from one another. Yeonjun cranes his neck to look at Soobin and finds the Alpha doing the same thing. Yeonjun can hear someone talking to him but he isn’t listening, not when Soobin is still staring at him like that. 

They switch again and Yeonjun’s eyes catch the general. He’s still in a full set of armor and he notices Yeonjun’s stare, his head tilting slightly. His eyebrow crooks and his frown seems to shift a bit. Yeonjun shivers and turns back to his partner, just as he’s spun away. 

They dance until dinner and people eat from tables found throughout the room. Yeonjun chats with many of the younger people who, depending on their parents, can be pleasant. But he meets many Alphas, Omegas, and Betas (though there are few. Betas don’t often come to royal affairs) who think Yeonjun should go to find members of his sex to talk with instead of mingling. Yeonjun couldn’t care less. He’ll do what he wants, thank you very much.

“Everyone!” the emperor’s voice suddenly booms. Yeonjun stops in his tracks and looks toward the man, seeing him standing by an Alpha. There’s the sound of a scuffle going on, but the man smiles and tries to distract them. “I am pleased to announce I have found a bride for my son!” The crowd erupts in applause but Yeonjun looks for Seokjin, though the Omega is nowhere to be seen. 

But then-

“I refuse!” a voice screams. Everyone turns to look at Seokjin and the Omega is standing tall in the crowd, his chin up as he levels his father with a hard stare. “I refuse to marry her!” The emperor tenses. 

“Seokjin, behave,” he growls but the prince snarls. 

“I’d rather die a thousand deaths than marry any of these Alphas!” Seokjin says. Yoongi appears and he attempts to pull his brother back. Yeonjun can hear him talking. 

“Apologize!” the younger brother hisses. His scent permeates the air, thick and distressed. Seokjin ignores him and removes his wrist from his grip. “Hyung, you’re going to get yourself killed!”

“How dare you plan my life as if I am nothing but a doll for you to play!” Seokjin screams. “I am a human being as you, Father! I am your son!”

“Guards, take him away,” the emperor says and suddenly, soldiers are pouring through the crowd. Seokjin is grabbed by the arms and he flails, kicking in protest. 

“No, please!” Yoongi cries, pushing through the guards. He’s surprisingly quick on his feet. “Let him go! He doesn’t mean it!” Hoseok and Taehyung can be seen shoving past the guests as Seokjin is dragged away. 

“Hyung!” Taehyung screams. Yoongi grabs his skirts and then leaps through the air, tackling a guard. It’s so unexpected that he manages to free his older brother and he tugs him back, panting. Yoongi’s face is red and Seokjin has a few small tears leaking down his cheeks, his hair disheveled. The emperor’s lip curls. Seokjin sneers. Yoongi’s fingers are twitching and his eyes dart around the room before they land on Yeonjun. The prince begins to flick his eyes to the side, toward the door. Yeonjun turns around and he can see guards filing in, quietly. He looks back at Yoongi and the older has a strangled look on his face. Yeonjun frowns. He looks at the emperor then back at Yoongi. The man is suddenly frozen in place like a hunted deer and his hand wraps around Seokjin’s. 

A dagger flies through the air, just past Yeonjun’s face. And it would’ve hit him too, if not for Soobin tugging him back. It impales itself in the woman in front of him and she crumples. Everyone turns to look at the origin of the dagger, finding a cloaked man sitting there. The mask of the ever-infamous Nine-Tailed Fox starts red at the large ears and fades into a pale, pale pink. Scarlet marks decorate its face and a pair of eyes peek through the eye holes as he tilts his head, “tails” flicking. He has a white cloak on and loose pants along with a fine leather belt lined with weapons. His hands are protected by gloves and he rests his hand on another dagger, head tilted. He leaps down from his perch and the people scramble to get out of his way. Yeonjun and Soobin are no different and the assassin walks to one of the guards. Before anyone can react, the dagger in his hand flashes and the man falls. Yoongi and Seokjin are nowhere to be seen and Soobin grabs Yeonjun’s hand as they begin to run. A body falls before them and they both look up to find the White Rabbit. He stares at them, though his eyes are impossible to see. Soobin watches him warily as he ushers Yeonjun away, chasing after the Omega. The White Rabbit seems to watch for a bit before he jumps down, twin knives spinning. 

There’s a low hiss and in a cloud of smoke, a third figure appears. He’s dressed in black with a hood and no animal-affiliated mask, though the viper on the back of his cloak is the telltale sign of who he is. Yeonjun suddenly remembers Taehyun and stops Soobin, his eyes wide. 

“What is it?” Soobin says as Yeonjun’s eyes scan the crowd, frantically searching for his brother. 

“Taehyun. Where’s Hyunnie?!” he cries. Soobin looks around and then he’s diving into the crowd, slithering past people. Yeonjun can’t decide who to watch. The Viper is spinning through the air, knives flashing, as he attacks the Rabbit, chucking the weapon in his direction. But all of a sudden, before it can hit, Soobin’s body is spinning and he pushes the knife away, Taehyun in his grasp. The younger prince stares at the assassins and the older Alpha with wide eyes, Yeonjun not much different. But then, Soobin is running toward him, Taehyun in tow. 

“What was that?!” Yeonjun demands as they run. Soobin doesn’t answer and Taehyun runs beside him. When Yeonjun looks at his brother in question, all he does is shrug. 

“Taehyun, hide in your room, okay?” Soobin says and the younger nods before he seems to disappear within the crowd, leaving Soobin and Yeonjun alone. 

“Why?” Yeonjun says as he and Soobin run out. He receives no answer. Their footsteps echo as they run down the corridor and Soobin leads the way. Yeonjun holds his skirts in his hands and tries not to fall. Soobin ends up deciding it’s too risky and Yeonjun is lifted from the ground, squeaking in surprise. Soobin carries him to his room and deposits him on his bed, panting. 

Yeonjun doesn’t know why he does it. He’d like to, but he doesn’t. 

Their lips crash together and Soobin gasps. Yeonjun pulls away, his eyes wide. And then Soobin is tugging him closer and devouring his lips like it’s his last meal, pulling Yeonjun onto his lap. The Omega gasps and Soobin groans, his tongue dragging through the inside of Yeonjun’s mouth. He reaches up and undoes the beads around Yeonjun’s shoulders and they fall back, landing with a clatter. Yeonjun stares at him as his hands come up and begin to remove the circlet, setting it to the side. The veil falls and Yeonjun leans into Soobin’s touch as his fingers run through his hair, eyes falling shut. 

“Soft,” Soobin murmurs. Yeonjun sighs and then leans forward, pressing their lips together yet again. He can feel his heart pounding in sync with Soobin’s. The Alpha lies back and Yeonjun leans forward, moving with him. 

And then, suddenly, the door opens. Alpha and Omega stop, turning around. 

“Your Highness!” Areum gasps. Yeonjun scrambles off of Soobin and the Alpha ends up rolling off of the bed. He stands and straightens his armor, looking away from both Yeonjun and his nurse. 

“Apologies, Nurse,” he says, bowing. “I’ll- I’ll be off.” Without waiting for an answer, Soobin dashes away. Yeonjun watches as he goes, his lips parted as if he’s preparing to say his name. Areum watches him go before sighing, then she sits him down and begins to clean his makeup off. She takes the head accessories and places them on the vanity and helps him undress, handing him his nightclothes. 

“You must forget about him, Highness,” she says softly. Yeonjun turns around to glare at her and finds Areum staring at him with a disapproving and perhaps even pitying look, though it’s impossible to tell. 

“Why? He’s royal, I’m royal- we’re best friends.”

“Perhaps, but your father found you a husband while you were away,” she says. Yeonjun stiffens and his mouth falls open. Areum shuts his jaw and sighs, combing his hair. Yeonjun flies to his feet. 

“You can’t!” he says. “I refuse!” Areum’s temper flares. 

“Don’t you dare follow in his Imperial Highness’s footsteps!” she hisses. “Do you know where he is right now? He’s in his father’s dungeon to await marriage! I will not allow you to end up as he. Accept your place as an Omega or learn firsthand what happens when you don’t.”

“Where are my parents? I demand to see them,” Yeonjun says, ignoring his nurse. 

“You are to stay here and rest. You will be riding back tomorrow.”

“I command you to take me to them,” Yeonjun says. He raises an eyebrow in challenge. “Or do you defy your prince?” 

“Highness-”

“Take me to them, Nurse,” he snaps. “You are to obey or face punishment.” Yeonjun wonders if she knows he’s lying. He’d throw a fit but he couldn’t ever allow Areum to get hurt. He just hopes she doesn’t know that. 

“They are in the west wing,” she says. “The guards will show you the way.” Yeonjun nods. He gets up and kisses Areum’s cheek, silently thanking her before opening the door and exiting. He walks through the halls like a ghost and remains wary of the guards. 

“You need to leave, Hyung,” a voice Yeonjun knows like the back of his hand says. He stops and backtracks till he reaches the gardens. There, Soobin stands. He’s speaking to none other than the Nine-Tailed Fox and Yeonjun gasps. Neither notice. 

“You have to be more careful!” the Fox says. He looks around. “You had your hand on your sword as soon as we were joined by Viper.”

“I was worried for Yeonjun,” he says. The Fox snorts. 

“Must I remind you of his marriage?” 

“He doesn’t want that.”

“Perhaps.” The older man shrugs. “But has he a choice in the matter?” Soobin’s brow further furrows and he looks away. The assassin looks over his shoulder. 

“Don’t plant seeds in rocks,” he says before he jumps up and scrambles over the roof. There’s the shadow of two large rabbit ears and the two assassins are quick to leave. Soobin, now alone, sighs and runs a hand through his hair. Yeonjun begins to sprint down the hallway, his original mission forgotten. 

They leave before dawn. Yeonjun gets in the carriage and watches as Soobin saddles up his dragon. He’ll be heading to the coast with them, though on a dragon. Yeonjun avoids his eyes as he boards and Soobin doesn’t seem keen about interacting as he takes off. 

“As Areum should’ve told you, you’re getting married,” his mother says. Yeonjun shrugs, leaning against the side of the carriage. He can tell she’s surprised by his lack of protest. 

“Huh,” Yeonjun says. 

“You’ll be meeting him soon.”

“Huh.”

“Your lessons are to shift to pleasing your Alpha.”

“Huh.”

“Well, considering your indifference, I’m assuming you won’t mind that you can’t retain any form of contact with Soobin, then?” Yeonjun sits up straight. 

“You can’t do that,” he rasps. “Mother, you can’t be so cruel as to forbid me from speaking with my best friend.”

“It isn’t cruel, Yeonjun. It is customary. An Omega contacting an Alpha who isn’t their husband is an unfaithful Omega. Unfaithful Omegas are executed.”

“Mother, we’ve- Mother, that’d- please, please don’t do this.”

“Do you think I was spared the details of your escapades in your bedroom last night?” Yeonjun whips around to glare at Areum but he barely musters a frown. He’s too upset to do much more than try not to cry. 

“We were tired, Mother. We were tired and high on adrenaline.”

“You should be thankful we aren’t reporting this to the public. Your entire life, gone within a heartbeat. We could forbid you from ever seeing Soobin again-”

“You are forbidding me from contacting him, what’s the difference? And what do you expect of us when we meet? Are we to act as strangers?”

“Yes!” his mother snaps. Yeonjun flinches back. She settles down and glares at her son. “Do you understand?”

“Just because I understand doesn’t mean I’ll comply.”

“You will comply because we say you must.” 

“We- Mother!”

“Stop whining! You’re an adult, Yeonjun, and you’ll act as one. Are you eager to follow in Seokjin’s footsteps?” 

“Why is his free will a problem?” Yeonjun snaps. 

“His free will is a problem because it will be his downfall!”

“None of us are puppets, Mother!”

“Perhaps you don’t think that, but you must be quick to become one should you want to keep your head!” 

“Oh, how wonderful! My options are to either live in a cage or death!”

“Be quiet, Yeonjun!” 

“Why?! Why should I do such a thing for someone who couldn’t care less about me?” 

“Because that person will hold your life in his hands!”

“He’ll barely know my name! I could change it to “Bitch” and he wouldn’t care less!”

“Yeonjun! Watch your tongue!”

“Why?! It’s to get cut off sooner or later!” 

“Stop the carriage!” Yeonjun lurches forward and grabs onto the door to ground himself as his mother grabs his wrist. 

“You want to go with Soobin? Fine!” she says. “Let him find you! Let him bring you back to the palace! Prove how much he cares about you!” She storms back into the carriage and off they go, leaving Yeonjun standing on a path. They hadn’t been travelling long so they’re on the outskirts of the capital, somewhere he’s never been and honestly never thought of memorizing the layout of. 

“Soobin!” he yells, cupping his hands around his mouth. He begins following the carriage tracks. “Soobin-ah!” A gust of wind blows past him and he hugs himself, squinting beneath the sun. He looks up in hopes of finding a dragon’s silhouette yet he has no such luck. “Soobin!”

“Hyung?” There’s the sound of a dragon descending and Yeonjun closes his eyes, flinching back from the gust of wind. Yeonjun is already throwing himself at his best friend as he dismounts, his arms wrapping around him as he presses his face to his chest. 

“Soobin,” he says softly. The Alpha’s arms press him impossibly closer and Yeonjun shivers as a sob racks his body, small tears dripping down his cheeks. Soobin tilts his head up. 

“Hyung, don’t cry,” he says. “It’ll be okay.”

“Soobin, they’re not letting me see you anymore,” Yeonjun says. Soobin tenses in his hold and then he tightens his grip around the Omega. 

“They- why?” 

“I’m sorry, Soobin, it’s my fault. I shouldn’t have kissed you last night. If I hadn’t, we’d be allowed to see each other and we could keep contact. I-”

Soobin kisses him. He tilts Yeonjun’s chin up and they’re kissing, lips pressed together. 

Yeonjun pushes him away. Soobin’s eyes are wide when he does, his lips parted. 

“Soobin, we _can’t_ ,” he says weakly. He stands back, hugging himself. Soobin looks hurt but resigned as he nods, sighing. 

“Okay, Hyung,” he says, avoiding Yeonjun’s stare. “Okay.” Yeonjun wipes his eyes with the back of his hand and stares at his best friend, his chest clenching. He stares at Soobin who keeps his eyes on the ground, jaw clenched. Yeonjun walks over and boards the dragon after Soobin, wrapping his arms around the Alpha’s waist as he rests his head on his shoulder. 

“Hyung, you should get a cloak,” Soobin tells him softly. Yeonjun frowns and looks around before he finds a compartment with a large fur cloak. He pulls it on and closes the compartment, then returns to his previous position. Soobin snaps the reins and the dragon leaps into the air, flapping its wings to gain height. The wind whistles through Yeonjun’s ears and he reaches back with one hand to pull the hood over his head. 

It isn’t long before they settle into a simple glide. The dragon’s wings beat every so often, but there isn’t much action other than that. Yeonjun loosens his grip around Soobin’s waist to hopefully lessen the awkwardness, though it can only do so much. 

“I’ve never flown before,” Yeonjun says. 

“I know.” The Omega sighs, laying his head on Soobin’s back. He closes his eyes and allows their gentle flying to guide him to sleep, though, just as he begins to slip, Soobin is sending the dragon into a dive. 

“SOOBIN!” he screams as the dragon plummets, spinning. Soobin laughs as Yeonjun tightens his hold and plasters himself to the younger, screaming at the top of his lungs. 

“How do you like flying, Hyung?” Soobin yells over the howling of the wind. 

“I hope you die a thousand deaths!”

Soobin laughs again. “I’ll take that as a “I’d rather not”!” Yeonjun, if he wasn’t busy hanging onto Soobin for his life, would slap his best friend. Or kiss him, but no one needs to know that tidbit of information. 

[ _Sweet Night Instrumental_ ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dTC9sYXKViA)

Eventually, Soobin returns to a slow glide. Yeonjun continues to clutch his best friend like a lifeline, though he’s also lost his trust in the other man. 

“Are you going to hold onto that forever?” Soobin says as they fly. 

“Yes. A million times yes. Hell yes. Uh-huh. Any way I can say yes.” Soobin laughs and he begins to lower the dragon so its feet grace the surface of a large lake as they fly over. The sun is setting, the sky having been turned into a beautiful tapestry of pinks, purples, oranges, and pale blue. The water splashes as the dragon’s talons drag over it and Yeonjun watches with wide, mystified eyes. 

“Who taught you?” he says.

“A friend,” Soobin tells him as they begin to search for a place to make camp. “I learnt while on my trip.”

“Oh,” Yeonjun says. The dragon lands and then Soobin climbs off, helping Yeonjun down due to his skirt. Their reptilian steed settles and leaves a small place beneath her wings open. Soobin begins showing Yeonjun how to make camp, starting with a mattress then moving onto a fire. The sun is fast asleep by the time they’re finished and they begin to eat the food brought with them. There’s an unusually large distance between them, and both seem to acknowledge such. 

“Um, congratulations,” Soobin says. 

“For what?”

“I heard you were getting married. Congratulations.” 

“Yeah, well, it’s not by choice.” 

“What would you do if you had a choice?” Yeonjun frowns, staring at the flames. He drums his nails on the cup in his hands, furrowing his brow. 

“I’ve never thought of such a reality,” he says. He shrugs. “I’d make sure Taehyun could love Beomgyu without judgement.” 

“That’s a good thing to do. I admire your selflessness.” Yeonjun laughs. 

“I’m not selfless, I just don’t know what I’d do.”

“Well, I’m rather selfish.”

“Are you?” Yeonjun says. Soobin shrugs. “What would _you_ do if you could choose?”

“I’d marry you.” Yeonjun’s breath hitches and he looks at Soobin with wide eyes, staring at the Alpha. 

“What?” he says. 

“It’s selfish, I know,” Soobin says. “But I wouldn’t if you wouldn’t want it. But if it was in this particular circumstance, I’d marry you.”

“Why?” 

“Why not?” They stare at one another and Yeonjun digs his nails into the skin of his palms until the sensation of blood dripping down his skin becomes apparent. 

“Don’t say those things, Soobin,” he says. “We’re already never seeing each other again. Don’t tempt me with hope.”

“I’ll still care for you after you marry, Hyung.”

“Will you?” Soobin laughs sadly. 

“Of course. Aren’t we best friends?” Yeonjun smiles weakly and nods. 

“We are.” Soobin smiles at him. Yeonjun turns back to the fire and shivers, pulling the cloak closer to his body. Soobin notices but doesn’t say anything, leaving the two in a heavy silence. 

“Will you go straight home after returning me home?”

“Despite my wishes, yes.” 

“You’ll be at my wedding, yes? I- I would like to see you once more before-”

“What do you take me for, Hyung? Of course, I’m going.” Yeonjun nods, having been granted a small amount of relief by Soobin’s answer. Soobin is looking at the stars, his expression distant. Yeonjun moves to sit next to him and undoes the cloak, letting it drape over their shoulders. 

“Aren’t they beautiful?” Soobin says softly. Yeonjun nods in agreement, leaning his head on the shoulder of the younger. A hand finds his own and their fingers interlock, Soobin’s big hand swallowing Yeonjun’s. He closes his eyes and wonders if there’s a reality where he and Soobin are in love and to be married, where Taehyun gets to be with Beomgyu, where Seokjin is allowed his free will, where freedom isn’t unreachable. 

“Don’t fall asleep out here, Hyung,” Soobin whispers. Yeonjun hums and snuggles against him. “Hyung, there are bandits.”

“Bandits, rebels, thieves- I’m cute and no one bothers someone cute. Let me sleep, Bin.”

“The bandits will kill you without a second thought when they see that cloak.”

“The rebels want me too. ‘Sides, you’ve got that big sword. All of them should leave us alone once they see you, me, and a dragon.”

“Hyung, we should go to sleep where the dragon can protect us.” Yeonjun groans, burying his face in the crook of Soobin’s neck, huffing. 

“Nooooo,” he says. Soobin is probably smiling that goofy smile that makes Yeonjun’s traitorous heart pound, so he remains in the “safe” comfort of Soobin’s neck. Of course, now he has a nose full of Soobin’s lemony mint that’ll spike with a ghost of burnt sugar every so often. 

It’s very intoxicating. 

Soobin lifts him up before Yeonjun can wonder if his scent is this strong all over his body. He leans his head against the Alpha’s chest and sighs. The dragon shifts and they crawl beneath a wing, Yeonjun settling on a mattress. Soobin goes out and the sound of him putting the fire out can be heard before he joins Yeonjun beneath the dragon’s wing. 

“Why is it so cold in the summer?” Yeonjun says. Soobin might shrug in response, though Yeonjun can’t see him in the dark. He can hear him, though, as the sound of the mattress sinking beneath his weight is obvious against the quiet song of the crickets, fae, and other forest creatures. Yeonjun rolls onto his side to face the younger and stares at him, shifting the cloak so they’re both covered. 

“This part of the forest doesn’t abide by our seasons,” Soobin eventually says after some thought. “That’s what I’ve been told.”

“Was it the same person who taught you to ride a dragon?” Soobin laughs softly. 

“Yes.”

“May I meet them?” 

“He’s . . . difficult to get a hold of, per se,” Soobin says carefully. “He-”

“Is he the Nine-Tailed Fox?” Yeonjun says. Soobin’s mouth snaps shut and he stops talking. “I saw you talking with him the night of the attack.”

“Hyung, I swear-”

“Who were you trying to kill, Soobin?” The Alpha sighs. 

“It- we- _he_ was supposed to watch Seokjin. The Imperial Prince is- he’s important.”

“So important that he can’t be put in a dungeon?” 

“Yes,” Soobin says gravely. “Should anything happen to him, the White Rabbit, Gumiho, and I are to receive either death or something equally horrible.”

“From whom?” 

“I can’t tell you that, Hyung.”

“Soobin, tell me. As your elder, I command you.”

“I can’t,” Soobin says. He grabs Yeonjun’s hands and kisses them. “If I tell you, you’ll never be allowed a normal life again. All of it, gone with a few words.”

“Soobin-ah, I’m sure you know that I’m not some helpless prince, yes? You can tell me, I’m not made of porcelain.”

“But I don’t want you hurt,” Soobin says. “If someone discovers what I’m doing, I’ll be executed and no amount of status could ever save me.”

“Then let me share the burden.”

“Hyung, let me protect you, please. You’ve always protected me, I wish to return the favor. Is it too much to ask?”

“I’d never be able to live with myself if you were to die, though. Won’t you spare me of such guilt?”

“Are you saying I’ll die?” Soobin says, attempting to change the subject. Yeonjun frowns at him and tugs him closer. 

“If it’s a possibility, then I will worry about it.”

“No one will find out, Hyung. But I can’t risk putting you in the line of fire if it happens.”

“If you’re to die, then I will do so with you.” Soobin laughs and then leans forward, his lips brushing over Yeonjun’s forehead. 

“Don’t give me hope that you are to love me as much as I, you.”

“When did I say such a thing was false?”

“Hyung, you’re to be married soon.”

“That doesn’t mean I don’t love you.”

“Do you?” Soobin says softly. He leans forward, leaving their lips millimeters apart. “Tell me, Hyung- if you had a choice, would you marry me?” he breathes. 

“I would,” Yeonjun says. His eyes flick up to Soobin’s. “I would marry you a thousand times. One for each day lost.”

“A ceremony per day? Is that what you mean?” Soobin whispers. “We would tire far too quickly to go on with such an arrangement.”

“Will you kiss me, then, for each day you’ve spent away from me?” Yeonjun says. And they’re kissing less than a second later, holding each other close. Yeonjun’s marriage fades to the backs of each prince’s minds as they kiss, the soft sound of their panting breaths filling the air. Neither dare to go any further as Yeonjun risks death if his Alpha finds him to have been touched by another. That doesn’t stop them from tangling their bodies together, desperate to get as close as possible, and falling asleep within each others’ embraces. 

Soobin wakes Yeonjun quietly. The sun is slithering through to dance above their heads, making the dragon’s scales fluorescent-seeming. 

“Get up, Hyung,” he says, shaking Yeonjun. The Omega grunts and tries rolling away. 

“Just a bit longer . . .” he mumbles, pulling his legs to his chest and snuggling into them. “Let Hyung sleep, Soobin-ah.”

“We have to go, Yeonjun,” Soobin says. There’s a shift and the dragon’s wing is gone, stealing Yeonjun’s sleep from him. He grunts again and sits up, blinking tiredly. Soobin’s already packed his mattress up and he helps Yeonjun to his feet, directing him to sit on the dragon. 

“You made breakfast?” Yeonjun mumbles as he’s handed a bowl of broth. Soobin hums as he begins to put things away, scattering the ashes and even going so far as to hack the logs up with a knife. He kicks away any signs of their presence then climbs atop the dragon. They take off and Yeonjun latches onto Soobin like a baby koala, keeping his eyes closed. 

He wants the ride to be longer. 

“Go the long way,” he says to Soobin, resting his chin on his shoulder. Soobin turns around to look at him. 

“They’ll know,” he says. 

“I don’t care. I want to stay with you.”

“It would make things so much worse, Hyung.”

“We already can’t speak with one another again, how could it get worse?” Yeonjun begs. Soobin looks at him with sad eyes before he’s cupping his face and kissing him. His lips are soft as Yeonjun remembers, sweet and Soobin-flavored. He catches hints of their breakfast and some of Soobin’s scent. The combination is one of the strangest Yeonjun’s ever heard of, yet it’s perfect. Soobin pulls away and stares at him with lidded eyes before he’s grabbing Yeonjun’s hips and tugging him forward on the dragon. They kiss again and Yeonjun doesn’t think twice before his hands are tangled in Soobin’s hair. Both of them have chapped lips from the flight yet Yeonjun wouldn’t want anything to change. However, their position is uncomfortable as they’re still on the dragon, and Soobin has to pull away to get it to land. They stumble off, kissing and gasping and touching. It’s not enough now and Yeonjun doubts anything will ever be enough for him. All he can think is _Soobin, Soobin, Soobin_ , the name like a mantra in his head. A hand undoes the clasp of his cloak and it falls from Yeonjun’s shoulders. He reaches out and tugs on Soobin’s shirt, desperate for it to be off. One of Soobin’s hands is pulling the strap of his dress down and, after pulling away for air, he begins to place burning-hot kisses down the column of his neck. Yeonjun pants, his legs wrapped around the Alpha’s middle as he begins trying to pull Soobin’s shirt from his body. 

“You’re so gorgeous,” Soobin breathes into his ear before pressing a kiss behind it. Yeonjun groans and his head falls back, exposing more of his neck. He uses his ankles to tug Soobin closer. Yeonjun succeeds in removing Soobin’s top and he casts it to the side, licking his lips at the sight before him. Soobin’s body is well-toned with lean muscles from constant physical activity coupled with hours spent working at a desk. His skin is tanned from hours upon hours spent at the beach and beneath the waves, and he even has a few scars. Yeonjun begins to kiss down the one over his collarbone, staring up at Soobin through his eyelashes. Soobin groans and Yeonjun smirks against his skin, returning up his path as he leans near his ear. 

“Run away with me,” he says, his voice husky and breathy. He nips Soobin’s earlobe and doesn’t miss the way his breath hitches. “Run away with me, Binnie.”

“I hope you weren’t planning on running from your duties, Highnesses.” Yeonjun almost screams when he sees both the Nine-Tailed Fox and White Rabbit watching them. The Rabbit stands nearby and could take both princes out within less than a second with the Fox in a tree, his legs dangling. Yeonjun grabs the cloak and Soobin stands in front of him. 

“Stopping for me? No, please- continue,” the Fox says with a giggle. He jumps down from his place and makes his way over. Soobin towers over him and he grabs his shirt, pulling it over his head. Yeonjun follows him but the Rabbit stops him, empty eyes staring at him. Yeonjun snarls in response. 

“What is it?” Soobin says. 

“We’ll be escorting His Highness Yeonjun.” 

“What? No!” Yeonjun says. No one spares him a glance. 

“What are you going to do, Hyung?” Soobin says. 

“Don’t worry. We’re under strict orders to keep him alive. You have duties back on the coast that can’t wait.”

“No. No, you can’t do that,” Yeonjun says as he attempts to push past the other man in front of him. “No, we’ll never be able to see each other again.” The Fox looks at him and Yeonjun swears he’s pitying him but he can’t tell through the tears that are welling in his eyes far too fast. 

“Bun, let them say goodbye,” he says. As soon as the obstacle is gone, Yeonjun runs forward as does Soobin and they collide with one another. Yeonjun claws at Soobin’s shirt and holds it with weak fists as arms wrap around his waist and hold him so tightly he thinks he’ll die. But really, Yeonjun wouldn’t mind it if it was in Soobin’s arms. 

“No, no, no,” he whispers hoarsely. “I can’t, I can’t lose you. Soobin, I’m going to lose you.”

“I’ll find you, I swear, Yeonjun. I’ll find you and we’ll get to be together, understand? I’ll find you, I’ll do everything I can and we’ll get married and have our happy ending. I love you, I love you, I’ll find you.”

“I love you too. Binnie, promise me!” 

“I promise, I promise, but only if you do too.”

“I promise. I swear, I’ll- Binnie, don’t forget me. I love you so much.”

“I love you too, I love you, I love you.” Yeonjun pulls away and looks up and wipes away his tears, cupping Soobin’s face with shaking hands. They kiss and Yeonjun can taste their tears in it, salty and heartbreaking. They pull away and lean their foreheads together, tears dripping down their cheeks. 

“I’ll find you no matter what, I promise,” Soobin says softly. “Don’t get hurt, don’t let them hurt you. I’ll find you as soon as I can, just promise you’ll be alright.”

“I promise, but you have to promise too.”

“I don’t make promises I’ll break.” And then Soobin is pulling away and leaving Yeonjun. He and the Fox disappear, Yeonjun now alone with the Rabbit. He collapses and sobs, fat tears pouring down his cheeks. 

“Why do you two know my Soobin?” he says. The Rabbit comes over and sits down, tilting his head. Yeonjun turns to glare at him. “How do you know him?”

“Rebellion,” is the answer, though it’s so unexpected that Yeonjun jumps back, his eyes wide. 

“You can talk?!” he says. The Rabbit probably looks offended. Yeonjun clears his throat. “I mean- well, I never expected to hear your voice.” The Rabbit shrugs and stands, offering his hand to Yeonjun. He takes it and stands, then they both climb onto the dragon. 

“Take the reins,” the assassin says before taking off. 

“What.”

“I’ll be killed if they see me. Take the reins. It’s like riding horseback.”

“But with a dragon?”

“No, with a turtle.” Yeonjun rolls his eyes as he takes the reins and digs his heels into the dragon’s sides. It yelps and then it takes off, flying through the sky. Yeonjun tugs on the reigns to slow it down and they begin to glide, cutting through the air smoothly. Yeonjun sighs, staring down at the ground below them. 

“Do you know where we’re going?” he says. The dragon huffs in response and he hopes it’s a yes. It’s nice to be back in the air but the nostalgia that replaces Soobin’s presence is a mood-dampener. Yeonjun could do without it. 

He arrives at the city and lands the dragon, watching as it flies away. 

“Your Highness!” The prince turns around and there’s Areum running toward him. His bitterness about her telling his mother about Soobin flares up and he clenches his fists by his sides. 

“Hello,” he says. 

“Your Highness, you must come quickly! Your fiancé has come to meet you!” Yeonjun’s stomach drops with his jaw and his heart leaps into his throat. He shakes his head.

“No. I don’t want to,” he says. He steps back and Areum steps forward. 

“Highness, we don’t have time for this kind of behavior,” Areum says, sounding tired. Yeonjun shakes his head. 

“You may drag me screaming to his feet but I will meet him in no other way.”

There is, apparently, another way Yeonjun meets his fiancé. He throws a fit as he’s dragged to his bedroom to prepare for his first dinner with the man and it takes several people to hold him down as he thrashes and refuses to get dressed, but they manage and he’s dragged to meet his fiancé. 

“Ah, there you are, Yeonjun!” his father says. The prince rolls his eyes as he sits at the table, glaring at his food. Taehyun is there and he looks extremely uncomfortable sitting near the other Alpha. Yeonjun doesn’t even know his _name_ for gods’ sake; how could anyone ever expect them to marry?

“Good evening, Your Highness,” the man says. Yeonjun looks him straight in the eye as he takes a knife from the side and stabs it into his plate, successfully shattering the delicate material. Everyone at the table stops and looks at him, from his parents and his fiancé’s parents to Taehyun and even the servants. Yeonjun crosses his arms. 

“Brat!” his mother hisses as she takes him to his room. Yeonjun refuses to give her the satisfaction of his whimpers of pain. “Are you trying to get yourself killed?!” 

“What would you do about it, Mother?” Yeonjun says. “Isn’t he the one who is to control me from now on?” The woman is quick to slap him but Yeonjun stands back up, balling his fists at his sides to refrain from returning the blow. 

“Should I cut your tongue out for you?” she says. “I’m sure you’d enjoy that!”

“It’d be better than getting married to a man whose name I don’t know!” Yeonjun sneers. 

“You will behave,” the woman says, pointing a finger at him. “You will behave and you will marry and then you won’t be mine to watch anymore. Your husband will be quick to discipline you, Yeonjun, and, by the time he’s done, there won’t be anything left.”

“Perhaps,” Yeonjun says. He crosses his arms. “But at least I can die knowing I put up a fight.” His mother rolls her eyes before she leaves and Yeonjun follows. 

“Apologies,” his father is saying as Yeonjun re-enters the room. “My son has had a long journey and he is tired.”

“No, it’s fine,” the Alpha says. “He’s feisty.”

“One of his many flaws.” Yeonjun takes his seat and he can see Taehyun tensing, his knuckles turning white where he holds his cutlery. 

“It adds character. Feisty Omegas are wonderful additions to our society.” 

“Is that so?”

The Alpha locks eyes with Yeonjun. Well, he tries to, though the Omega is glaring at his new plate with its pre-cut food. 

“They keep us Alphas on our toes, wouldn’t you agree, sire?”

“Well, perhaps. He’s quite difficult to be around, though.”

“He won’t be when I’m done with him.” Yeonjun looks up and narrows his eyes, curling his lips. 

“Excuse me, but I am not a wild animal for you to tame,” he snaps. “The only reason you’re here, may I remind you, is because no one found you interesting enough to fall in love with you and marry by choice.” He looks back at his food and begins picking out what he doesn’t want and flicking it at his fiancé, daring him to attack. 

The Alpha laughs, which isn’t what Yeonjun wanted. 

“Oh, poor Omega, thinking he can challenge the Alphas,” he coos and Yeonjun stops. His lips pull into a snarl and reveal his fangs, something only displayed by Alphas and Omegas for mating and threatening. Showing one’s fangs can be taken as a death threat. 

“Touch a hair on my head,” he says, “and I’ll bite your dick off.” He begins to eat, then, not bothering to wait for a response. 

“Get this one a muzzle!” the Alpha says, beginning to laugh. He shakes his head and stares at Yeonjun with half-playful half-angry eyes, tilting his head. “Grow some real fangs, little pup, and maybe I’ll get scared.” Yeonjun’s knuckles turn white and he raises an eyebrow. And then he’s standing up and walking away. 

He reaches his bedroom and feels like a dramatic little princess from a fairytale as he slams the door closed and then jumps onto his mattress so his face is hidden. He sits up and removes his shoes and chucks them at the doorway before grabbing a chair and using it to block the door. Then, Yeonjun begins scrambling to change into the stolen pair of pants and shirt he owns, grabbing a hood and covering his hair. He opens the window and creeps out, trying to avoid any guards before scrambling over the wall. 

Yeonjun heads outside, keeping his head down. He doesn’t go far, simply climbing one of the watchtowers and sitting on the balcony.

“Good evening, Your Highness.”

“Wah!” The man laughs, taking a seat next to Yeonjun. 

“Who are you?” Yeonjun says. The man smiles, fangs glinting. There’s something familiar about him. 

“Jimin. Park Jimin.”

“Never heard it before.”

“I am rather low-born,” the man says, shrugging. He smiles up at the stars. He’s beautiful in a way that transcends most if not all notions of gender. His lips are plump and pink, his hair black, his skin tanned from hours under the sun. From what Yeonjun can see, he’s well-muscled. 

“What’s your job?”

“Depends on who’s asking.”

“Your prince.”

“Then I’m a librarian in your case,” the man says with a light laugh. 

“What would you be in any other?”

“You’re not the right person to know, Highness.” Yeonjun raises an eyebrow. 

“Strange,” he says. “Why are you awake so late?”

“I could be asking you the same question.”

“Hm.” There’s a sudden crash and Jimin curses. 

“Apologies, Highness,” he says, bowing quickly. “I have business.” He rushes off and Yeonjun, curious and bored (a combination asking for trouble) follows him quietly. Jimin heads down a spiral flight of stairs and Yeonjun does the same, pressing his back against a wall as Jimin enters a doorless room. He peeks in and pinches himself to keep from gasping, for, lying in the middle of the room is none other than the White Rabbit himself, panting and gasping. 

“Guk, you dumbass,” Jimin says as he tends to the other Alpha. “What were you doing?”

“Tried going back after dropping His Highness off,” the man pants. He groans. “Shit, think it’s poison.”

“Oh, you _think_?” Jimin hisses angrily as he grabs a few things from the shelves. He looks up. “The prince is here; you’d best keep quiet.”

“Which prince?”

“Yeonjun.”

“Isn’t he supposed to be meeting his fiancé?”

“I’d assume so. Did you see him with Soobin, though?” The Rabbit groans, his face hidden by Jimin’s torso. The smaller of the Alphas is pouring something around the arrow wound, probably a salve to make it hurt less. 

“You should be thankful that kid can do magic,” Jimin grumbles. “If he couldn’t, you’d be dead.”

“C’mon, you and I both know we’ve had worse.” 

“For skin-deep. For all I know, there could be a curse on it.”

“Call the kid?”

“Yeah.” Jimin blows into his hand and a dove appears, flying off. Yeonjun’s eyes widen in surprise. 

Not long after the bird disappears, there’s a knock on the door. Jimin goes to get it and leaves the assassin alone, his chest heaving up and down. There’s blood on the bed he was placed on and the moonlight allows Yeonjun a clear look at his face. 

“General?” he gasps when he recognizes the Imperial General. He mustn’t have been as quiet as he thought as the man looks up, eyes narrowed. He’s pale from the injury and the moonlight, sweat trickling down his brow. 

“Who’s there?” he says. “Come out- I can smell you.” Before he can say anything else, Jimin is appearing, a boy in tow. The boy is taller than Jimin and Yeonjun recognizes Hueningkai as he picks the arrow up, frowning. 

“It’s just poison,” he says. “You couldn’t sense that?” Jimin shrugs. 

“My abilities in a field as fickle as magic are limited, Kai,” he says. The Beta shrugs, sitting on a box as Jimin tends to the general’s wounds. 

“What about the emperor?” Hueningkai says. “How is he, Hyung?”

“Paranoid. They’re trying to put on Seokjin's wedding as soon as possible but they aren’t allowed to skip anything. You know how imperial weddings go- it’ll be weeks before the actual ceremony.”

“If only Yeonjun-ah was so lucky,” Hueningkai says and Yeonjun can’t stop the indignant squawk he releases. All three look over to his hiding spot and Jimin curses. 

“I forgot I found the prince on the balcony,” he says. “Yeonjun, come out.” Hueningkai’s eyes grow wide as the Omega appears and he scrambles back, laughing. 

“Yah, who said you could be informal with me?” Yeonjun says to the younger as he grabs his ear and pinches him. “You brat.”

“That’s me,” Hueningkai says. “The brat.”

“A cute one,” Jimin says, ruffling his hair. The general laughs weakly. He winces and Yeonjun shuffles toward him to look at his injury.

“Where’d you get this?” he says. 

“I was trying to make sure you were okay. I’m dead if a hair on your head is touched, according to Soobin. Your disappearance has- ah- caused quite the pandemonium back at the palace. I’d head back.” Yeonjun groans and then bids the man goodbye along with Hueningkai and Jimin. He runs out of the room and into the night, headed back to the palace. He clambers over the wall and sneaks back into his bedroom, changing and shoving the discarded clothes beneath his bed. 

“No, Father, please,” Taehyun’s voice says outside of the room. “Father, don’t hurt him, I’m begging you.” 

“You dare sleep beside a whore?! You dare claim to love him?!” 

“Father, he’s done nothing wrong, it was my fault just don’t- please, please don’t hurt him. Punish me instead!” Yeonjun peeks out of his room and sees his Taehyun chasing after their father who drags an unconscious Beomgyu down the hall. 

“Don’t say such things!” the king snaps. “Your reputation will forever be tarnished by his presence; we are saving you by naming him a skilled seductress.”

“Father, I love him. Please let him go, I’m begging you. He’s done no wrong.”

“He has tricked you into believing you love him- that is enough to warrant his punishment. He will be sent to a brothel, where he belongs-”

“He has never shared the bed of anyone but myself!”

“How do you know, boy? Omegas are skilled liars- how dare you allow yourself to believe any of his words!”

“Don’t hurt him, please!” Taehyun begs and he’s crying, tears pouring down his cheeks. Beomgyu’s body is riddled with bruises and there’s a large cut over his swollen eye, dripping blood. His clothes are torn and his wrists are bound by chains. Taehyun grabs his father’s robes and tugs him back, a knife appearing in his hand. He holds it to the older man’s throat, shaking. 

“Let him go,” he says. “Let him go or I’ll kill you myself.”

“Foolish boy,” the man wheezes. “Guards- take my son to the dungeon. Once you find Yeonjun, do the same with him. The gods refused to bless me with obedient sons.” Taehyun screams as he’s flanked and his wrists are shackled. 

“Beomgyu! Gyu, wake up! Wake up!” he sobs. His lover remains silent and unconscious, limp as he’s dragged along. 

Yeonjun doesn’t notice the guard sneaking up on him until he’s grabbed. He yelps and thrashes, growling and baring his teeth. 

“We found him!” Yeonjun kicks the guard in the crotch, wincing when his foot comes in contact with an armored plate. 

“Put me down!” he yells as his hands are cuffed. Taehyun is growling and yelling as he’s dragged, Yeonjun not much different. But the two brothers are subdued and dragged down the stairs, thrown into separate cells. Taehyun is staring at Beomgyu as the Omega is dumped into the cell across from him, blood drying on his face. His nose is bleeding from being dropped and Taehyun has his hand outstretched as if that’ll let him save his lover. 

“Hyung,” he sobs and Yeonjun moves so he’s as close as he can be to his brother. 

“I know, Hyunnie,” he says softly, hoping his scent can comfort the younger. “I know.”

“He’s going to die, Hyung. What- what am I to do if he dies?”

“They won’t. He won’t die, there’s no reason-”

“Hyung, my _baby_ ,” Taehyun whispers. “My mate- I can’t lose him.”

“You mated him?” Taehyun pushes his hair from the nape of his neck and reveals a bite, though he’s quick to hide it. 

“I’m going to die if I lose him.”

“You won’t, I promise, Hyunnie,” Yeonjun says, reaching through the bars. They link pinkies and Taehyun is still crying, turning to look at Beomgyu. The Omega is frowning, presumably sensing his mate’s distress. He remains unconscious. 

Wedding preparations begin the next day. Yeonjun is allowed out to have his measurements taken, though he plans to bring a wet towel back for Beomgyu’s eye. He stands with his arms out, waiting. The dress is being created while he stands, trying to stay awake. 

He leaves when they finish the base. The towel is shoved into his pants (he hasn’t anywhere else to put it) and he manages to get Taehyun to toss it at Beomgyu when he gets back. The Omega grunts as he catches it, dabbing the swollen eye. He cleans the wound to the best of his abilities until it looks much better and has become a simple scratch. Of course, his eye is still swollen, but he continues to press the cloth against it, staying silent. Taehyun will open his mouth to say something before closing it, and Yeonjun is left to watch. 

He’s brought out again to meet his fiancé’s parents. Yeonjun grumbles as he’s dressed, still watched by the guards in case he attempts to escape. He flinches as a corset is set around his middle and tightened to the point he feels like he’s going to die. Yeonjun turns around and glares, but he’s being forced into a dress. The sleeves are a struggle as they’re made of a thin, net-like material and are shaped like bells. It’s off-shoulder and a pale blue with underskirts that make Yeonjun want to scream. There are blossoming silver flowers scattered over it, some near his hips where the skirt begins, and a few on the bottom. Yeonjun grumbles as a necklace is secured to rest on his collarbones, earrings put in. He walks out, stiff as a board, and is helped into his seat by his fiancé whose name he still doesn’t know. 

“You look beautiful, Yeonjun,” he says. 

“Just when I thought you couldn’t get any worse, you use compliments to make me like you. I’m not that shallow,” he says as he takes out his fan, shifting in his dress. He raises an eyebrow at the Alpha and crosses his legs, beginning to eat. Yeonjun doesn’t bother eating delicately as he’s been taught; he shoves his face with food and makes sure he can’t speak to anyone. He watches as everyone else at the table stares at him with wide, horrified eyes. Yeonjun wipes his face with a napkin before standing up, grabbing his skirts and gliding away. He gets pretty far before the guards are dragging him back, Yeonjun taking care to make sure his heels make the worst noises known to mankind as he’s taken back. 

“We’re so very sorry for our son’s behavior,” he can hear his father saying. “We’re so very mortified-”

“Is there something wrong with his head?” the Alpha mother of his fiancé says. “He’s known for being rather rebellious- I believe you’ve left him to his own devices for far too long.” The woman sighs as Yeonjun is forced back to the table. “Dae-Hyun will discipline him.” Yeonjun’s hands turn into fists and he curls his lip, glaring across the table. His eyes are narrowed as he glares at the man across from him, and his scent is so strong even _he_ can smell it. It’s like burning, sickly sweet vanilla and spiced honey. He can see it making everyone uncomfortable but Yeonjun doesn’t care, not when he’s fuming about how he’s being treated. 

“I am _not_ a horse that must be broken for riding,” he sneers. He glares at Dae-Hyun. “You will treat me as a human being or wake up in a pool of your own blood. It’s your decision to make.” 

“Come here, boy,” Dae-Hyun’s mother says. The Omega tilts his head, challenging the Alpha. 

“I am not one of your subjects,” he says. “I have no obligation to obey you.”

“Tell your son to come here.”

“Yeonjun, you are an Omega. Listen to the Alphas.” 

“You’ll have to make me first.”

“Or I could kill your brother’s whore.” Yeonjun stiffens. His father continues, “There’s also that noble son you’re friends with. What was his name again? Hueningkai, correct? He’s the son of a foreigner and a noble?”

“Don’t you dare,” Yeonjun grits out from between his teeth. 

“Then listen to Her Majesty.” Yeonjun stands up and walks over to the woman, his fists clenched by his sides. He glares at the woman as she stares at him for a second. 

Yeonjun is expecting the blow. He turns his cheek before she even hits him, then moves to sit down. He dips his napkin in his water and presses it to his face, then sets it down and stands up to go to his bedroom to change. He begins taking out his jewelry and then feels through his skirts for the small pouch of food he stole, smirking to himself. He begins to undo the dress, just as there’s a particularly strong gust of wind by the window. A sudden rapping on his balcony doors makes him stop and Yeonjun walks over and opens them. 

“Soobin?” he says when the Alpha pulls off his hood. Soobin smiles softly and Yeonjun feels like crying as he cups Soobin’s face, running his thumb over the small scar under his cheek. 

“What’s this?” he says and Soobin shakes his head. 

“Don’t worry about it.”

“Bin, I’ve missed you so much. You’re still coming?”

“Of course. I wouldn’t miss it for the world.” 

“You have to save my brother,” Yeonjun says. “And Beomgyu. Save them both.”

“What about you?” Yeonjun laughs and kisses Soobin softly. 

“I’ll be fine,” he says. “As long as you’re all okay, I’m fine.” 

Soobin sighs in frustration. He leans their foreheads together. “I wish I could take you away right now.” 

“It’ll be alright, Soobin-ah,” Yeonjun says. They kiss again and then once more, a final goodbye. 

“I love you,” Soobin says. 

“I love you too. Be careful, yes? I don’t want to find any more scars on you.” Soobin laughs and then runs back in, kissing him again. Yeonjun squeaks before relaxing into the action, tangling his fingers in black locks. Soobin pulls away and Yeonjun can still taste the Alpha on his lips. He stands and watches as Soobin jumps through the window, disappearing. He stares after him and Yeonjun’s heart is pounding a little harder. He begins to change when he realizes how long it’s been, though, and he’s sighing as he removes the corset. He pulls his clothes on and shoves the food into his skirts, then is escorted back to his cell. 

“Hyun, Gyu, I brought food,” he says. He holds the bag out and Taehyun takes it, taking out the food. 

“What do you want?” he says to Beomgyu. The Omega has been sitting against the wall, his eyes empty. He shrugs in response and rubs his stomach. Taking matters into his own hands, Taehyun stuffs a majority of the food into the bag and hands it to Beomgyu, whining to get his attention. 

“Hyunnie . . .” Beomgyu says. He can see how the bag sags compared to the apple and slice of bread Taehyun took for himself. “Taehyun, I don’t need this much.”

“You haven’t been eating enough,” the younger says. Beomgyu shrugs. 

“I’ll be fine.”

“No, you won’t. Don’t lie to me, Jagiya.”

“I’m going to die anyway!” Beomgyu says, turning around with a flaring temper. He grabs the bars of the cell. “I’ll give birth and they’ll take my pup. Or maybe they’ll kill me before I even start showing. Maybe they’ll let me starve here and force me to give birth to a sick baby before sending me to a brothel. I’ll be just like Appa, just like Appa who got pregnant, but I won’t get to keep my pup. And I’ll never- I’ll never see my mate again but he’ll be alive and I’ll be- Taehyun, Taehyun, I’m going to _die._ ” Beomgyu’s voice begins to climb in pitch. “I’m going to die, I’m going to die, I’m going to die. Get me out of here, Taehyun! Get me out!” His rambling turns into yelling which turns into screaming which turns into nonsensical screeching. Taehyun is trying to push past the bars with brute strength, screaming and demanding to be given back to his mate. The sound of the guards coming down can be heard, though the ruckus caused by the couple will be quick to drown it out. Taehyun is trying to physically wrench the bars apart and Yeonjun has heard legends of Alphas and even a few Omegas shifting into wolves to get to their mates in times of trouble. He’s never paid them much mind, but now . . .

There’s a sudden growl and Taehyun’s panting. Something about him looks different and, upon closer inspection, Yeonjun realizes his ears are pointed. He shivers and shakes, body melting into a huge, snarling wolf. It’s a chocolate brown with bright red eyes and drool dripping from its maw as it slams its flank into the bars. The cell shakes in protest but Taehyun doesn’t care. He’s panting as he repeats the action, the iron succumbing to his will as it bends. But it doesn’t break. 

“Someone stop him before he brings the entire prison down!” a prisoner screams as the ceiling shakes and bits of stone fall. Yeonjun looks up and his heart is pounding like a drum against his chest. Beomgyu keeps screaming and Taehyun keeps attempting to break the iron. He wraps his jaws around a weaker piece of his prison and tugs, teeth grating against the metal. Yeonjun gasps as the material begins to tear, but the guards are now here and they’re all trying to stop both Taehyun and Beomgyu. 

“Shut up!” someone yells at the Omega, which only makes him scream more. Taehyun grows angrier and he jerks his neck back, removing a good chunk. It’s not big enough for him to fit through, and Taehyun continues to tear the place up. 

“Someone get in there and stop him!” A guard fumbles with the keys before he unlocks the door and Taehyun snarls, lunging. He sinks his teeth into the soldier’s neck, pulling away with a blood-soaked maw. More people surge forward to subdue the wolf but Taehyun tears through them like paper dolls. The prison is soon swarming with guards as they attempt to pin the prince down, but he’s adamant about getting to his mate. 

“Give him to Beomgyu!” Yeonjun screams at the top of his lungs. “Give him to Beomgyu and he’ll stop!” He wraps his hands around bars and screams again. “He’s trying to help Beomgyu!” Someone hears him and the words are passing through. Beomgyu’s door is opened and the Alpha dashes in, shifting as he crouches down to comfort his mate. The door slams shut behind him but Taehyun doesn’t show any sign of caring as he cradles Beomgyu in his arms, holding him against his chest. The Omega is still gasping and breathing heavily but he begins to calm down as Taehyun runs his fingers through his hair, hushing him. 

Yeonjun wakes to yelling. He sits up and finds Taehyun being shackled to the wall of his cell while Beomgyu is held back, screaming and crying as they begin to beat his Alpha. Yeonjun rushes to the bars of his cell. 

“Stop! Stop, that’s Taehyun! He’s one of the princes! That’s my brother, stop!” he screams at the top of his lungs. Taehyun yowls as he’s beat and his nose begins to bleed, sanguine liquid dripping onto the ground below him. Beomgyu begins to thrash and shiver as he continues to fight against the guards. When his screams begin to turn into growls, though, Yeonjun is the only one who notices.

“He’s shifting!” he yells. Beomgyu twitches and growls again, baring his fangs. The guards all stumble back and the Omega lunges at the one closest to him, hands turning into paws. He’s smaller than Taehyun due to his secondary sex, but he’s just as ferocious. His jaws clasp around the neck of his victim and there’s a sickening snap that breaks through Taehyun’s heavy breathing as the door slams shut. Beomgyu paces and growls, his lips pulled back to reveal his teeth. He licks his lips but there are still small speckles of blood stuck in the fur. He moves to circle around near Taehyun before he lies down, sighing and resting his head on his front paws. He doesn’t shift back and instead sleeps with his eyes just barely open, but he’s awake enough to snarl at the guards when they get too close. 

Yeonjun is taken upstairs and he knows his wedding is soon. They force him through extensive spa treatment, cleaning his hair to his toes and everywhere in between. _Everywhere_. They even begin to scrub his lips as it’s common knowledge that he’s kissed another man. His parents are strict about keeping such rumors quiet, though everyone is hungry for gossip in a palace. Yeonjun doesn’t care. 

He’s going to be receiving wedding presents. Areum covers the lower half of his face with a veil and does the same for his hair, tying his corset extremely tight. It’s to keep him from slouching. He glares at her as he stands up and walks to the throne room, taking his seat beside Dae-Hyun. The man tries to take his hand and Yeonjun is quick to slap it away, narrowing his eyes. 

“If you touch me again, expect to receive much more than a slap.” Dae-Hyun raises an eyebrow and Yeonjun sits back, crossing his legs. He knows Soobin is going to be here as it’s customary for all guests to bring a gift from their home. 

He wonders what Soobin will bring. 

The gifts come in and most, if not all, guests have brought separate gifts for both Yeonjun and Dae-Hyun. While the Alpha receives weapons and blessings and armor, Yeonjun is watching his jewelry and clothing collections pile up. He’ll receive blessings too, but they’re all for him to give birth to big, powerful Alpha pups. Yeonjun spends a majority of it trying to move as far from his fiancé as possible, waiting for Soobin. 

“From the coastal kingdom, His Highness Choi Soobin!” The Alpha smiles dazzlingly as he presents his gifts.

“For Prince Dae-Hyun, I bring a sword carved from whalebone.” A large box is carried up to Dae-Hyun then opened, revealing a blade made of ivory with intricate carvings. “It’s enchanted to reveal the true tendencies of anyone as wished by the wielder.” He grins. “I also offer a grove of the finest tropical fruit to the both of you.” He turns to Yeonjun and his eyes sparkle as he snaps his fingers. 

“To His Highness, Prince Yeonjun,” he says, “I present to you a dagger made by a dragon’s tooth- one of the most powerful materials in the entire empire. No enchantments are needed. Its hilt is made of sealskin leather, the blade smoothed by the waves. For such a thing is far too small for you, I’ve also brought a music box. With it comes a necklace that holds a great spirit within. Be careful, Highness, for it may only be freed once before it is lost.” Soobin moves to the side and Yeonjun is presented with the dagger, wrapped in smooth leather, and the music box. It’s a simple clamshell with golden hinges. Yeonjun doesn’t dare open it as he bows his head in thanks. 

“Thank you,” Dae-Hyun says, eying Soobin suspiciously. The Alpha walks away and winks at Yeonjun. 

Later, there’s a feast for all to attend. It’s days before the wedding and Yeonjun wanders off to his bedroom. Soobin finds him not long after and he undoes the veil covering his face before gripping the Omega’s hips and kissing him. Yeonjun is backed against the wall and he jumps up to wrap his legs around Soobin’s waist, gasping as his lips are nipped. Soobin’s tongue slides into his mouth and Yeonjun’s grip on his hair tightens. He can feel Soobin gripping the bottoms of his thighs, his touch bruising. Yeonjun wants him to. He wants to wake up and find the prints of Soobin’s hands on the backs of his thighs, wants to be marked by the Alpha in any way possible. Soobin pulls away to press a sloppy line of kisses down Yeonjun’s neck and the Omega gasps. He mouths on Yeonjun’s collarbone, reaching up to pull the dress to the side to kiss more. Yeonjun can’t get enough of Soobin’s hands on him and he cries out, legs tightening around the Alpha’s middle. Soobin surges up to reclaim his lips and his kisses are hard and achingly desperate, their neediness increasing with every lost second. 

“So beautiful,” Soobin whispers against his skin. “All I could see was you next to that bastard and all I could think about was how he didn’t deserve you, how I don’t deserve you- stars above, you’re a _god_.” Yeonjun cries out as the Alpha presses him further against the wall and he can feel Soobin’s hips buck. 

“Suh-Soobin,” he pants. 

“What is it, love? Tell me, I’ll do it. Anything you want, petal.” Yeonjun can feel his heart rate increase at the names and he captures Soobin’s lips in a furious kiss, licking inside of his mouth. 

The sound of the party is what startles them both back into reality. Soobin almost drops Yeonjun and the Omega squeaks, scrabbling to hold on. The younger man sighs, leaning their foreheads together. 

“It isn’t fair,” he says. 

“I wish it was you.”

“That makes two of us.” Yeonjun laughs, breathless and sad. He kisses Soobin again but it’s softer than before, chaste too.

“I love you so much,” he says. 

“I love you too.” Yeonjun sighs and Soobin puts him down, running his fingers through his hair. Yeonjun hands him a comb as he puts on the veil. 

“Do I smell like you?” he says. Soobin sniffs him and shrugs. 

“A little.”

“Would anyone notice?”

“Doubtful.” 

“Alright.” They kiss a final time and Soobin pulls away. 

“You should go back first,” he says softly. “Everyone must be looking for you.”

“I’ll tell them that I felt faint,” Yeonjun says. 

“Stay safe.”

“As long as you do as well.” Soobin laughs.

“I’ll try my best but I still won’t promise anything.” Yeonjun supposes that’s the best he’ll get. 

“Okay. I love you.”

“I love you too.” Yeonjun leaves then heads back to the party. 

He’s bombarded with questions but answers them by using the explanation from earlier. They’re quick to back off and he’s even brought a glass of water, and it’s appreciated. He drinks it to cool himself off and looks over as Soobin appears. The Alpha is one of the tallest in the crowd and he’s easy to keep an eye on as he mingles about. Yeonjun thinks it’s the longest party he’s ever been to. 

The wedding moves closer and closer and Yeonjun’s days are filled with preparations and ceremonies. He visits several temples with Dae-Hyun and several alone, receiving the blessings and pretending to listen to whatever they’re all saying. There’s a final ceremony the night before that Yeonjun learns about. The Omega is sent to a temple, though it must be empty, and will bathe in some sacred waters yaddah yaddah. It’s something for fertility or his virginity or a really religious bath. Yeonjun can’t remember. The day after, the waters are checked to see if the Omega left at all, meaning they’ll be unfaithful to their mate. Yeonjun plans on getting in for a few seconds and then leaving his toes in. 

[ _hostage_ ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p9sUkJry_XA)

Things don’t exactly go as planned. For both parties, meaning Yeonjun versus his parents, Dae-Hyun’s parents, and Dae-Hyun himself. Yeonjun is brought to the temple and given his directions, then he uses the bathroom (because he’s not sitting in his own piss for a night even if it’s just his toes). The sun has already set and Yeonjun begins to undress, then climbs into the water. Long after, he sits down and stares up at the moon, its reflection bright on the water’s surface. 

There’s the noise of someone entering, then. Yeonjun frowns and he sits up, tilting his head. But it’s Soobin. 

It’s Soobin. Soobin, dressed traditionally but not for long as he’s already beginning to shed his clothes. He undoes the buttons of his vest and then begins to remove his shirt, pants, and boots. Yeonjun watches as he gets into the water and makes his way across, raising an eyebrow. Soobin stops and he stands between the Omega’s legs, brown eyes glimmering. Yeonjun stares at him with hooded eyes, waiting for him to make the first move. His heart is pounding and it’s getting faster as Soobin advances. The Alpha eventually gets close enough and their lips are just barely apart from one another, and then Soobin’s leaning forward and they’re kissing. Yeonjun loves all of the different ways Soobin kisses- soft, chaste, and innocent for when he’s shy; promising, apologetic, and heartbroken for when they were bidding goodbye; rough and fast but still careful for those more heated moments. 

This one is a mix of all three. Yeonjun tugs him closer and Soobin gets down on his knees, leaning forward and bracketing the older in. Yeonjun pants into his mouth, their tongues dancing together. No words are spoken but a million promises are made as they kiss, hands wandering over each other’s bodies. It isn’t long before they’re both panting, gasping for breath, their sweat mixing in with the waters they lie in. Soobin presses kisses down the column of Yeonjun’s neck. The Omega closes his eyes and lets his head fall back, exposing more skin to the Alpha. 

“Let- let me see,” he says as Soobin begins to travel farther. Soobin stops and then sits back, allowing Yeonjun to look at him. He eyes the scars, especially the raw flesh dragged over his shoulder and down his collarbones. Yeonjun lets his fingers hover over the scar, eyes questioning. Soobin nods and Yeonjun traces the injury, keeping a careful watch for any signs of discomfort. Soobin watches him and then Yeonjun pulls his hand away, beginning to pepper kisses over his lover’s chest. Soobin’s hands card through his wet hair and Yeonjun can feel his eyes on him as he kisses up his chest. He finally gets to the Alpha’s lips and they kiss, hands running over each other’s bodies as Yeonjun lies back and spreads his legs to accommodate for his lover. Soobin’s lips are soft and smooth against his own and his hands are careful as they rove Yeonjun’s skin. He moves back and Soobin comes with him, running over his hips. The night’s activities consist of kisses and wandering hands, with touches that are strong but delicate. And, of course, the loss of their virginities. 

Yeonjun wakes up before dawn to Soobin shaking him. He looks sad and scared and Yeonjun can feel his distress. He reaches out from the pool and tugs him close, pulling him down for a kiss. Soobin pulls away and tells him he loves him. And that he’s sorry. 

[ _Surrender_ ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5Mrz8t0FCIc&list=TLPQMDQwNTIwMjAlyzrJVFUTZA&index=6)

“Why?” Yeonjun says. And really, it’s such a loaded question. Why are you leaving? Why are you sorry? Why did you come here? Why do you look like that? Why are you scared? Why, why why?

“I’m sorry,” Soobin says again and he’s crying, tears beginning to drip down his cheeks. Yeonjun grabs his arm and pleads with his eyes, begging him to come back. Soobin leans down and kisses him, cupping his face. The taste of tears is expected but unwelcome, and Yeonjun cries harder. Soobin pulls away and wipes his eyes. 

“I’ll find you, I swear,” he says. “I love you so much.”

“Don’t leave me, please,” Yeonjun says. “Please don’t leave me.” 

“I’ll be back, I promise,” Soobin says. “You’ll see me in a few hours, okay?”

“That’s too long,” Yeonjun says. “Binnie-”

“I love you, don’t forget it.”

“What’s going to happen, Soobin?” Yeonjun says. The Alpha looks over his shoulder and Yeonjun cranes his neck. The sun is rising. “Soobin?”

“You won’t have to marry him, I promise. I’ll get to you as soon as I can, I love you.”

“Soobin-!” The Alpha is running off and Yeonjun feels empty as he disappears, perhaps forever. He sits back down and stares after him, and the waters are suddenly freezing. Yeonjun hugs himself and shivers, his chest tight. 

It isn’t long before Areum and a team of nurses comes to help him back. Yeonjun dries off and puts on his clothes from the previous night. He goes back to the palace and is herded into his bedroom to get dressed. 

Yeonjun can admit his wedding [ dress ](https://www.pinterest.com/pin/489414684507130274/) is beautiful. It has a sweetheart neckline and is off-shoulder with white, frilly sleeves that go to the middle of his upper arm. The top is lined with delicate lace and it has a built-in corset. There are small flowers embroidered on it. The skirt is large and sumptuous, keeping him from too much movement. There are golden designs climbing up to the torso in sections, swirling and slithering. He picks the necklace from the music box. It’s nothing crazy; it’s a simple pendant made of seaglass carved into a smooth teardrop shape that hangs from a delicate chain. Yeonjun puts it on and then his eyes catch on the dagger. He looks at his skirts and allows his hand to glide through them, checking for somewhere it could be concealed. He finds a place and hides it, an instinct telling him it’ll be important later. For what, Yeonjun has no idea. 

A tiara is placed on his head along with a veil, and then Yeonjun is sent out. He’s led through the halls and then helped into a carriage to get to the outdoor pavilion. 

Once they arrive, Yeonjun is brought to a throne by Dae-Hyun. He frowns behind the veil and looks around. The civilians around them also seem puzzled, especially at the strange scuffle. There’s a building tension in the air. 

“Good morning!” Yeonjun’s father cries, standing up. He smiles and Yeonjun gasps as he spots an executioner’s block being brought over. Dae-Hyun notices and he frowns but he doesn’t say anything. 

“Father-” Yeonjun whispers, tugging on the man’s clothes. He turns around and glares at the Omega. 

“Sit down, Yeonjun,” he hisses before turning back to the crowd. “My dear subjects, today we have been blessed with not one but two wonderful events!” The crowd begins to whisper. “My son’s wedding-” he turns around, gesturing at the two princes “-and the execution of a traitor to the empire!” There’s a collective gasp drawn from the crowd as a man is brought up to the executioner’s block. He’s pushed onto his knees and Yeonjun’s heart beats faster with every passing millisecond. He knows that scent, knows it like the back of his hand. He _knows_. 

“-his crimes will be read aloud, now.” The sack is pulled from Soobin’s head and the Alpha looks around before his gaze settles on Yeonjun. The Omega stiffens. He’s sure his expression is obvious even beneath the veil. 

“Choi Soobin, exiled from the coastal kingdoms, is guilty of assassination of several nobles-” ba-dump “-destruction of royal property-” ba-dump “-illegal possession of magic and magical objects-” ba-dump “-assistance in several murders-” ba-dump “-the aiding of renowned rebels such as the White Rabbit and Nine-Tailed Fox-” ba-dump “-and, of course, illegal conspiracy against the emperor.” The announcer turns to Soobin. “Have you anything to say for yourself?” Soobin looks up at Yeonjun and the Omega’s heart speeds up by a tenfold and the younger shakes his head, keeping his eyes trained on Yeonjun. The older man stands up and rushes to his father. 

“Father, please,” he begs. He removes his veil. “I’m begging you, don’t do this. Not to Soobin.”

“He is a traitor,” the king snaps. “We are expected to kill him. We must kill him.”

“No, no, Soobin would never,” he says. “I’m his best friend- I know everything there is to know about him, and I can-”

“Kill him!” Yeonjun turns around as the sword flashes through the air and he runs as fast as he possibly can to get between the blade and Soobin. He removes his dagger from his skirts and the metal clashes with the bone. 

“No,” Yeonjun says. “No, you won’t kill him.” Soobin stiffens beneath him but Yeonjun doesn’t pay the younger man any mind as he glares at his father and husband-to-be. “I will not stand by and let my best friend die.”

“Must I kill you as well?” his father says. “I will. I have no qualms doing so.” 

“You’re a monster,” Yeonjun sneers. “You have no problems killing your son or ripping the very person who makes your only heir the happiest. How dare you disguise yourself as a king in that pathetic skin of yours.”

“Guards,” the king says while staring straight at Yeonjun, “kill my son and the traitor.” Soobin acts, then, and he grabs Yeonjun and drags him down. An arrow whistles through the air and lands in the body of the executioner. They all look up and there’s the Nine-Tailed Fox, his head tilted. He’s still holding his bow and he pulls out another arrow and aims at a guard. The White Rabbit spins over his head and he tosses a knife, letting it shoot through the air. It hits one of the guards in the heart and then he lands, the Fox following. The two men stand back-to-back before a third figure appears. 

The Dragon of Ilsan is known to be the leader of the greatest rebellion in the history of the entire empire. He’s been planning for years and Yeonjun’s heard bits of gossip about him, how he’s part mythical beast, part human, how the gods have sent him from their kingdom to punish the mortals. If he’s being honest, Yeonjun isn’t sure what he believes. The man is so elusive that there’s no one who could give you an accurate description. Like his comrades, he wears a mask of his perspective animal, except it’s made of a real dragon skull. The jaws are connected by thick ropes of leather and there’s a feather coat that connects to it. The horns have gold bands on them and gold tips. Each individual ridge is painted and carved with runes, while the jaws have even stripes tracing down the sides. He wears it as a headpiece and covers the lower half of his face with a piece of fabric connected to his shirt. He has a black coat and pants, with leather boots of a matching color. His belt is made of dragon scales and full of weapons along with a few vials of poison or some type of venom. 

He lands and it seems like all hell breaks loose. Yeonjun grabs his skirts and Soobin tries to help him, though it’s almost impossible. Yeonjun is still holding the dagger as he and his lover attempt to get away from the fighting. The White Rabbit comes and joins them, keeping a protective arm over the two younger men as he fights his way through. 

“Taehyun! What of Taehyun and Beomgyu? And Hueningkai!” he yells over the ruckus. The Rabbit looks over his shoulder at him and nods as if he’s promising their safety. Yeonjun sighs as they continue to wade through the crowd until they reach the end of the platform. He gestures at Soobin to jump down before picking Yeonjun up and leaping toward the ground, landing and then setting the prince on the ground. He then seems to realize that Yeonjun can’t walk and he definitely can’t run, so he picks him back up and then they’re off. Yeonjun looks up and sees the Fox following, leaping atop the buildings. The third man lands in front of them on horseback and tugs on the reins, jerking his head. 

“You can ride sidesaddle?” Soobin says. Yeonjun nods and, before he knows it, he’s being tossed onto the horse. He barely has time to wrap his arms around the Dragon’s waist before the steed is taking off, Soobin riding up beside them. The smallest of them all comes about on a horse and there’s a wolf running beside him. Taehyun is leaning tiredly against the back of the general, barely conscious enough to hold on. Yeonjun frowns. 

They stop at the edge of the city and the horses are released. Yeonjun can see the troops approaching, his father and Dae-Hyun in the lead. Soobin is looking at the sky. 

“Kai!” he yells at the top of his lungs. The boy called comes stumbling out from a building and he’s holding a few bags. 

“What?” 

“We were wondering where you were,” Soobin says. Hueningkai shrugs before looking at the sky. 

“When are the dragons coming, Hyung?” he says to the leader. The older looks over at Hueningkai. 

“They should be here by now,” he says. He taps his toe and watches the approaching troops. “If they don’t hurry up, we’re dead.”

“Break the necklace,” Soobin says suddenly. Yeonjun frowns. 

“What?”

“The necklace. Break it.” Yeonjun undoes the piece of jewelry and drops the charm onto the ground, lifting his gown and crushing it underfoot. There’s a sudden gust of wind and a long, snaking dragon lands. It’s from the east, a water spirit, and it bows its head. They all board and Beomgyu shifts back, sitting behind Taehyun to make sure he’s safe. As soon as everyone’s boarded, the dragon takes off, flying through the air. Yeonjun’s fingers tangle in the strip of fur running down the creature’s spine as they fly, squinting as the wind whips at his face. His dress is billowing out around him, the veil and tiara long gone. He’s a little worse for wear, that’s for sure. 

They land somewhere in the deep forest. All of the assassins remove their masks and Yeonjun would be lying if he said he was surprised to see Jimin, the Alpha from the watchtower. He hasn’t any idea who the other man is. He’s tall and handsome, sharing the same dimples as Soobin. His eyes are soft and his lips are plump but he’s shorter than both Soobin and Hueningkai. He’s an Alpha as his looks and attitude both claim. His scent, though, is of a lavender rainstorm, and Yeonjun crinkles his nose in surprise. Of course, he doesn’t say anything because the man is rather scary. 

“Are we setting up camp here?” Soobin says. The man shakes his head. 

“We already set up. Not here, but it’s close. Kai, you can track it?” The Beta nods and he holds his hand out, a burst of sparks appearing. 

“Show us the campsite,” he says and the spark begins to bounce along. Yeonjun watches with wide eyes as he follows, mystified by the magic. 

“Have you ever seen Kai do magic?” Soobin says, seemingly reading the older’s mind. Yeonjun shakes his head. 

“No, not that I can recall,” he says. Soobin giggles and takes his hand, helping him walk. Yeonjun’s wearing a terrible pair of shoes and there’s the obvious impediment of his gown which snags on almost everything it passes over or even gets close to. 

“Don’t worry, Hyung, we’re almost there,” Hueningkai calls out. Yeonjun bites his tongue to keep from sighing as he continues to maneuver around all of the branches and thorns in the way. He’s thankful to be walking near the back, as the boots are carving a decent-ish path for him. 

They arrive at the campsite and Hueningkai hands Yeonjun a change of clothes. 

“Gods, you’re amazing,” Yeonjun says as he takes them in his hands. He looks around. “Where-?”

“Over here!” Yeonjun turns around and spots Soobin standing near one of the huts(?), waving his arm above his head. The Omega grabs his skirts and makes his way over, heading inside. Soobin helps him with the dress and then begins to create a bed for Yeonjun, fluffing up the furs. Yeonjun sighs as he finishes changing, looking down at his simple shirt, pants, and boots. 

“These are the best clothes I’ve ever worn,” he declares to the younger man, draping himself over him. “It’s so comfortable.”

“I can’t fathom how painful it is to wear any of your dresses,” Soobin says with a laugh. 

“I don’t think they make any tall enough for you.”

“Good.” Soobin shivers. “I can’t imagine wearing a corset.” 

“It’s not that bad once you get used to it.” 

“I’ll take your word for it.” Yeonjun laughs as he rolls off of the younger man to lie spread-eagle on the bed of furs, snuggling in with a sigh. 

“Mm. This is nice.”

“It is. But you should go introduce yourself to the Hyungs.”

“Okay.” Yeonjun sits up and stretches, grabbing Soobin’s hand as they walk out. There’s a fire being started and the Imperial General is speaking with the Dragon of Ilsan. 

“Yeonjun-Hyung, this is Jeongguk-Hyung. You know him as the Imperial General.” The man smiles and bows at Yeonjun, the Omega copying the action. Soobin turns to the other Alpha. “And this is Namjoon-Hyung. He’s the one who started everything.” Namjoon smiles and bows as well. 

“Everything?” Yeonjun says. He’s pretty awed; the rebellion he’s heard of as he’s grown older isn’t a force to be trifled with. Namjoon nods. 

“Everything,” he says. 

“Does this mean I have-”

“If you’re asking to ever go home, I can promise you that this _is_ your home now,” Namjoon says. He shrugs. “It’s going to be difficult for you to adjust, but, once you learn how to use that dagger, I think you’ll be fine.” Yeonjun stares at the weapon in his hands. 

“Besides,” Hueningkai chimes in, “Hyung’s got magic. See? In his hair.”

“This isn’t a fairytale, Kai.” 

“Try it.” 

“How, exactly?” 

“Focus on it; you’ll get good enough that it’s instinctive, but, for now, you’ll have to focus on doing it. That’s active magic.” 

“How many types of magic are there?”

“Several,” Jimin says. He pulls off his gloves and a small flame appears. “There’s elemental magic, host magic, shapeshifting, um- I can’t think of any more, but those are a few examples.”

“What type of magic do you guys practice?”

“Kind of whatever I can that doesn't require a host,” Hueningkai says. He closes his hand. “Hosts are people who allow deities to use them as vessels for their bidding. In exchange, you become one of the most powerful sorcerers there is, but handing control over to such a fickle being is too risky in my opinion.”

“Do you host?” Jimin shakes his head.

“I did, once, but I ended up killing- or putting the creature in so much pain it wished I could- to get it out. I have a scar on my torso.” Jimin raises his arms above his head and reveals the beginnings of something black and rotting crawling up his chest. 

“It’s rotting?” Jimin shrugs. 

“It’s going to kill me in a few years or so. I still don’t regret it.” He lifts his shirt a little more and reveals the wound which snakes over his torso. It starts small before growing thicker in the middle, then thins out. The skin is black and rotting and Yeonjun reaches out. 

“May I?” he says. Jimin shrugs and Yeonjun’s fingers dance over the skin. Something’s eating away at it, a dark force always hungry for more.

“I think Jimin-Hyung is uncomfortable,” Soobin says suddenly and yanks Yeonjun back. He rests a hand on the older’s hip and nuzzles the side of his neck. Jimin crooks a brow before giggling. He drops his shirt and allows Namjoon to speak. 

“We should check on Taehyun and Beomgyu,” he says. “Jeongguk, dismissed. Send a dragon to report on Seokjin-Hyung. I’ll see you when we go to get him.” Jeongguk bows. 

“Yes, Hyung,” he says. He grabs something from his belt and drops it, disappearing within a puff of smoke. Yeonjun sputters and steps back, his eyes wide. Soobin giggles. 

“A smoke teleporter,” he says. “We use them to move quickly and quietly without a lot of people noticing.”

“That’s amazing. Bin, this is so amazing!” Soobin laughs and hugs him. 

“The most amazing thing is that you’re here,” Soobin murmurs into his clothes. Yeonjun hugs him tighter and they stand in the middle of the campsite until Jimin tells them to come in. Yeonjun opens the tent and there’s a sleeping Taehyun curled around Beomgyu, both snoring softly. Beomgyu is mumbling something and Yeonjun sits down, rubbing his shoulder. The other Omega hums and snuggles back against his mate and Yeonjun can see the bite. The smell of the baby is faint but it’s there, intermingling between them. Yeonjun smiles at his brother and ruffles his hair, standing up and moving to stand by Soobin. 

“You’ll join us, right?” he says in his ear. Yeonjun bites his lip. Really, he thinks the answer should be an immediate yes. But there are people he cares about in the empire too. And he’s been taught to be loyal first and foremost. Looking at Taehyun and Beomgyu, though, then at Soobin, he has an answer. 

“Yeah.”

And so it begins.

**Author's Note:**

> You guys are so sweet thank you all so much I love all of you. Stay safe, loves!


End file.
